


honey on my mind

by happycakeycake, Kurookano



Series: happy safari camp au [1]
Category: Monsta X (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Fluff, M/M, Pining, Slow Burn, also shakira, drake is ever present, sorry we don't make the rules
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-02
Updated: 2017-05-05
Packaged: 2018-09-14 08:35:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 32,815
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9171082
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/happycakeycake/pseuds/happycakeycake, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kurookano/pseuds/Kurookano
Summary: In which Changkyun ruins his only pair of Jordans, but he meets a honeybee instead.(it’s worth it)





	1. me, myself (and my ruined jordans)

**Author's Note:**

> hey yo thanks for reading this quickly written fic, but it's hella self indulgent because who can resist monsta x in onesies.  
> basically the gang, except for changkyun at first, work at a day camp for kids where they do fun stupid things to entertain the children.  
> beware DRAKE REFERENCES

                                                                                

 

“Jesus, Changkyun, can’t you change the station or something? I can’t stand this song,” complains Kihyun from the passenger’s seat.

“What’s wrong with Drake?”

“I can’t stand this pseudo-gangsta stuff, please just change the station!”

Changkyun sighs and changes the station. It’s much easier to let Kihyun have his way, because his brother could actually complain all the way to his workplace, and Changkyun definitely isn’t up for that today.  
  
This time, a loud Latin-American rhythm blasts its way through the speakers.

  
_“_ _AYYYY AMOR ME DUELE TANTOOO_

_ME DUELE TANTOOoooOO.”_

 

“What is it with radio stations today? Why am I being attacked like this??”

  
“What’s wrong with Shakira now? I thought you liked pop music?”

  
“She sounds like Kermit the frog! Like, if Kermit the frog had a lover and it left him, this is what he’d sound like!” Kihyun stops rummaging through his work backpack and frowns intensely at the radio.

  
Changkyun takes the cue and turns it off, blocking out Shakira’s sorrowful voice. This ride is going to be the longest one in his life.  
\----------------------------------------------

Unfortunately for Changkyun, his older brother never got his driving license (he tried to actually, but at the practical exam he almost drove over an old lady and her small dog and had an hysteric reaction that left him sobbing on the examiner’s shoulder), so now he has to drive him to and from work three times a week. When Changkyun suggested he take the bus, Kihyun started sulking and talking about bacteria colonies hiding between seats on public transport and after a good fifteen minutes of “Do you want me to get syphilis? Do you?” Changkyun decided to never bring it up again. Thankfully his driver duties never coincided with his classes, because he’d really hate to explain to his literature professor that he had to play chauffeur for his twenty-five year old brother.

 

Every single time Kihyun would complain about everything, from the cleanliness of his car (“Seriously, what is the point of me going by car if it’s as dirty as the subway?”) to the music Changkyun played (“This hip hop stuff is for posers”) to the speed at which he drove (“You almost drove over that pigeon, are you a murderer??”), and every single time Changkyun just took a deep breath and thought that their mother would probably disown him if he were to murder his only brother.

 

Probably.

 

Kihyun’s fussy nature is however perfectly suited for his job. Being around children kind of requires a sharp eye and an endless love for sparkly clean surfaces and that’s probably why he got promoted manager (how even???) after only two months of being hired to work at Happy Safari Camp.

  
Changkyun doesn’t know exactly what his brother does at work, but he’s seen him try on a hamster costume at home and decided to refrain from asking any further. In his opinion nothing that includes a hamster onesie is worth talking about. He really doesn’t want to know.

He’s responsible for dropping Kihyun off and picking him up when he’s done with his shift, nothing more, nothing less.

  
This time, however, Kihyun asks something unexpected.

 

“Hey, could you follow me inside?”

  
Changkyun raises his eyes from his phone and squints at him suspiciously. “Why?”

  
“It’s theater week at the Camp and I need help with moving the props.”

  
“Why does it have to be me? Can’t one of your slaves help you?” he asks with a deadpan look.

 

Kihyun snorts at him. “Haha, very funny. The others aren’t here yet, and they need time to put on their costumes and makeup anyway! Don’t be a little bitch and come help your hyung!”

 

Changkyun seriously thinks about dropping him off, turning the car the opposite way and driving all the way to Busan, getting plastic surgery and changing his name, where he can then board the first flight out of the country, and start his life all over as Pedro the nice farmer from the Andes.

 

In the end, he follows his brother through the pastel colored doors of Happy Safari Camp, grumbling moodily under his breath the entire time.

 

The place looks a bit like a nursery, with its brightly colored walls and kid’s drawings pasted on every flat surface. Changkyun stares for a good minute at the ugliest drawing he’s ever seen (the drawing reads “Joohoney” in a surprisingly adult-looking scribble) until Kihyun grabs him by the arm and leads him to the main room where somebody’s built a little stage. There’s a country-themed background painted with apple trees and faraway hills under a neon blue sky with birds the size of small zeppelins.

 

“Here, help me set up the apple trees!” shouts Kihyun, already fumbling with the keys to the storeroom. _It’s not too late to become Pedro, you know_ whispers a voice in Changkyun’s head, as he follows his brother. He decides to steadfastly ignore it. The “apple trees” turn out to be broomsticks with papier-mache leaves and red christmas ornaments glued to them. Changkyun stares rather skeptically at the pitiful things, but proceeds to roughly set them on the stage, when he meets Kihyun’s withering gaze.

 

“They’re, uhm, cute.”

  
“Of course they are, the kids made them! And you can totally tell they’re apple trees!”

 

“Absolutely,” nods Changkyun. Maybe he nods a little too forcefully, because his brother sends him another venomous glare and directs him to grab the heaviest boxes in the storeroom as punishment.

 

He’s carrying the last box (which seems to contain a great number of christmas lights) when Changkyuns hears a voice cry loudly from the entryway.

 

“I’M SO SORRY HYUNG MY CLASSES FINISHED LATE AND-”

 

The cardboard box falls to the ground, scattering its contents everywhere. From the direction of the stage, Kihyun lets out a high pitched scream. The yellow mass is unmoving on the floor and Changkyun actually takes a minute to realize he’s sprawled out too, wires tangled around his legs, glitter (how did it even _get_ there?) covering _everything_.

  
The first thing that leaves his lips is, “FUCK, MY JORDANS!!!” before he remembers there might be a dead body lying face-down on the floor.

 

Or more precisely, a human-sized honeybee.

 

Wait, a bee? What the fuck, who (or what) does Kihyun actually work with??

  
“Shit, are you alive?” he asks, prodding the dead human (bee?) lightly on the arm.

 

The yellow form stirs and Changkyun finds himself looking straight into squinty, red-lined eyes.

 

The bee-guy lifts himself up, massaging his nose. “Yeah, I’m fine. Sorry for crashing into you dude, I ran in without looking…” he trails off, worried about Changkyun’s silent, fixed stare. The other boy actually has a rather angry, sour look on his face and the honeybee shifts uncomfortably in place. “Um, dude, are you mad at me? I’m sorry, I can help you pick this stuff up, here!” He flashes Changkyun a wide smile, eyes closing and dimples sinking deep into round cheeks, and the other boy almost drops to the ground again with how weak his knees get all of a sudden.

 

This honeybee guy is _pretty_.

 

Changkyun is too stunned to reply, gradually taking in the other’s features. He’s taller than him and broader, though not by much, with pale, soft skin and the most shapely heart lips Changkyun’s ever seen. They glimmer in the afternoon light, and is he wearing _lipgloss_? His brain short-circuits.

 

“Dude, are you alright? Did you hit your head or something?” He hears the other speak through a distant, cotton candy-like haze.

 

Then Kihyun reaches them and all hell breaks loose.

 

“What the sweet hell is this?? WHO DROPPED THE LIGHTS? If you broke them _I swear to God_ you’re going to the store RIGHT NOW, and you’re paying for them with _your own money_!!” He looks wildly between the two of them, as if trying to decide which one is the real culprit. The pretty honeybee speaks first. “I’m so sorry hyung, I was running late and I didn’t watch where I was going so I just crashed into him and we dropped everything, please don’t be mad at us!”

 

Motormouth: activated, teary eyes: engaged, Kihyun: defeated.

 

He lets out a world-weary sigh, looking by all means like bitchier, pink-haired version of a heroine from a Jane Austen novel. “Fine, fine, I’m not mad” he says (looking mad), “Please Jooheon don’t start crying, we talked about this! Let’s just check if everything works, ok?”

 

The honeybee - Jooheon - sniffles a bit and nods. He follows Kihyun to the stage, an armful of Christmas lights in his arms, leaving Changkyun alone, standing there like an idiot, in a mess of glitter and broken cardboard.

  
“Fuck, my Jordans,” he mutters again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks for reading! Please leave a comment, seriously they feed any and all motivation we have to write.
> 
> come scream at us on tumblr about monstax:  
> [x](https://happycakestories.tumblr.com/)  
> [^](http://jo0heonie.tumblr.com/)
> 
> thanks again!


	2. my heart beats just like (boom boom boom)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Christmas lights and mental breakdowns are generally part of Changkyun's daily routine now, he supposes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> title of chapter obviously comes from a Monsta X song.  
> This chapter also contains more drake and shakira references. Fun right?  
> Enjoy Changkyun's continued emotional torture because we love writing it!

Unfortunately for Changkyun, the Christmas lights turn out to be broken. He suspects their drop on the floor has little to do with it. After all, they’ve probably been sitting in that storeroom since Christmas was invented, but Kihyun still frowns at the tangled mess of wires and colored bulbs and sends his brother off to the nearest convenience store. Still dazed from his encounter with the pretty honeybee, Changkyun goes without protesting.

Jooheon catches up with him by the doorway. “Wait, I’m coming with you, it’s my fault that they broke!”

_Fuck fuck fuck fuck, future google search: is it possible for you to literally choke on your own tongue?_

He just stares blankly at the other, fervently hoping for the ground to open up and swallow him whole, because then he wouldn’t have to risk looking like a total idiot in front of the prettiest guy he’s ever seen. Jooheon doesn’t seem to realize his internal struggle and looks back just as nervously, biting his bottom lip. “Dude, are you sure you’re fine? You haven’t said a word yet…” When the other boy fails to reply again, he sighs before saying, “You did take a pretty hard fall back there,” and he unexpectedly leans forward and places a cool hand against Changkyun’s forehead.

Changkyun’s heart does a weird little backflip up his throat and he almost stumbles standing up, overwhelmed by the closeness. Thankfully the other boy quickly removes his hand and smiles at him. “You seem alright bro! Are you still mad at me or something, because I will totally pay for those lights with my own money - don’t worry about it. Also, I didn’t introduce myself, right? I’m Jooheon,” he rambles before suddenly pausing and directing a look towards Changkyun.

Why is he looking at him? Is this supposed to be some unspoken social cue- oh wait yeah he’s supposed to introduce himself now, isn’t he. Maybe shake his hand or something. The thought of human contact with the other is incomprehensible right now, so he mutters out “I’m Changkyun” and quickly glances away.

Jooheon beams at him. “So you’re Kihyun hyung’s little brother? He talks a lot about you, you know. Uh, sorry about your Jordans by the way, if it makes you feel better ornament glitter washes out very easily. I know from personal experience.”

  
“Yeah, um, thanks. Uh, my car is this way”. Changkyun really doesn’t want to know what his brother told Jooheon: after all, Kihyun has a _ton_ of blackmail material on him, more than Changkyun has on him, at least. He’s definitely reassured about his Jordans though. The world seems bright again.

He starts the car and turns on the radio, his favorite Drake compilation ready to go.

 

_“If you nervous, hit the lights, I know we only fuckin' out spite_

_Cause your man don't do you right, do you right, I could fuck you so good_

_Then I hit you with the 9AM in Dallas who you like, baby, who you like?"_

 

 _Oh shit,_ Changkyun screams internally as he fumbles to turn off his radio, _How much further can I embarrass myself today??_

Jooheon finishes buckling up his seatbelt and looks up at him with wide eyes. “Oh my GOD, you like Drake too? His stuff is dope!” and at the next verse he immediately follows along with the artist, spitting out words so charismatically Changkyun’s jaw drops to the ground. He swerves just in time to avoid hitting a trash bin sitting a little too far away from the sidewalk.

“What was _that,_ ” he chokes out. “Where did you learn to rap like that?”

Jooheon laughs nervously, looking sheepishly at the ground, all the previous charisma draining back into his usual adorable self. “Uh, it was nothing, it wasn’t all that good honestly…”

Changkyun’s going to flip. “What??” he screeches, still trying to keep his eyes on the road, “That was the most amazing thing I’ve heard! You can’t just say that was nothing, okay?”

Jooheon beams at him, dimples taking over his smile entirely. At this point, Changkyun’s jaw drops to the ground again. Damn gravity. He fakes a yawn and prays the other hasn’t seen his brief moment of weakness.

“I’m glad you think I’m good, but really, it’s just something I do for fun. It’s nothing serious!” the other insists. Between his smile and the bright yellow onesie he’s wearing, he could be seriously mistaken for the actual sun.

(Changkyun doesn’t go outside that often anyway, so he’ll take what he can get).  

They spend the rest of the journey in blissful silence, interrupted only by Drake’s crooning and Jooheon’s occasional high-pitched rapping. Changkyun sneaks admiring glances at the other, pretending to check the road. When they finally reach the nearby department store, Jooheon lets out a loud “LET’S GET IT” before rushing out of the car, leaving Changkyun shocked and dumbfounded at the other’s random phrase.

He bounds towards the store, still in his yellow onesie with his little stinger bouncing up and down, and Changkyun almost whimpers at how adorable it is, and quickly rushes to follow.

They ignore the rushed whispers that follow them through the store (after all, one of them _is_ dressed as a bee), and they manage to get some discounted Christmas lights-off brand, the kind that makes fathers all over the world curse out loud at how easily they break- at a ridiculously cheap price. They go back to the Happy Safari Camp in high spirits, Jooheon chattering away and Changkyun silently listening the entire time. He still can’t bring himself to look at the other for too long, and he’s still avoiding talking at all, but he’s feeling much more at ease than before, at least.

At the camp, Jooheon marches triumphally through the halls, holding the spanking new box of christmas decorations in his arms and calls out, “We’re back!” and he lightly jingles the box, “with newly bought ornaments too!”

On the stage, Kihyun is wiping sweat from his face with a grumpy expression.

  
“Took you long enough! Thank god almost everyone has already arrived. Now we just need to finish setting up, and we’re ready to go. Changkyun, help me put these lights in their place! Jooheon, please go look for Hyungwon, he headed to the storeroom twenty minutes ago and I think he might have died in there. ”

A tall guy in a pink bunny onesie ducks in and exclaims, “Oooh, is this your little brother? Is this the famous Changkyun, aka I.M?”

Changkyun flushes and immediately spins toward Kihyun. “What the fuck?” he hisses, “Why would you tell them about that? I was drunk out of my mind, and you weren’t supposed to even remember that!” Kihyun gives him a shrug, “What can I say, I just _had_ to share how adorable you were with my fellow coworkers.”

The bunny guy chuckles, and claps him on the back. “ _I am what I am_ , am I right man?” before grinning in his face. Up close, he’s ridiculously good looking, the kind that makes girls weak in the knees and usually appears in Vogue editorials about men’s expensive underwear. Changkyun wants to die, just a little bit.

What chance does he have when there are guys looking like _this_ around?  
Also, why the hell is he thinking about having chances? Dangerous train of thought, abort mission, abort!

Fortunately his train of thought is interrupted by the arrival of a certain bumblebee, dragging a half asleep guy in a turtle onesie behind him.

“I found Hyungwon hyung! He fell asleep in the closet!”

  
“I knew it! Hyungwon-ah, go grab a coffee or something and get back to work, we don’t have all day you know!”

  
The turtle guy rubs sleepily at his eyes and shuffles towards the entrance, where the vending machine stands. When he comes back he looks marginally more awake and Changkyun does a double take because woah, this guy is seriously pretty too. Why are all these model-like dudes working at a child’s camp? Dressed in animal onesies?

  
He briefly wonders if this isn’t some kind of rehab operation for problematic celebrities, but Kihyun definitely isn’t a celebrity and while he’s problematic, he’s not an addict, so it’s probably just a coincidence. Like, it’s just all the best looking guys in Korea working together in some random kid’s camp, perfectly regular stuff, move along folks.

Changkyun is snapped out of his pretty-people induced daze by the the nasally pitch of his brother’s voice. “As you all know, today we’re putting on another play, and everyone was _supposed_ to show up on time,” he says without pause even as some muscled guy, even taller than the bunny guy shows up in a black bear onsie. Said man flinches at Kihyun’s telepathic comment, and his brother only waves him in exasperatedly.

“Okay, now that Hyunwoo hyung is here too we’re only missing Minhyuk and Gunhee. Has somebody heard from them?” When he only receives blank stares in response, he curses and whips out his phone to send scathing texts to the aforementioned missing people. Nobody replies.

Kihyun scowls before whipping out more demands, “Hyungwon, please call Minhyuk and tell him that if his lazy ass isn’t here in five minutes, he’s playing the bush in the next performance! In the meantime, _you_ ” he says pointing at Jooheon “and _you_ ,” before pointing at Changkyun, “please untangle these blasted lights and put them up. We need to get this stage set up by four o’clock, and we’re so far behind I swear I’m going to-!” he breaks off with a muffled scream, gripping his hair messily with clenched fists.

Nobody moves.

Kihyun breaths in and out multiple times before turning back at everyone with a gleaming grin. “I guess we should all get to work now!” he chirps and everyone immediately scatters, no questions asked.

  
“Let’s get started then,” says Jooheon, flashing Changkyun a nervous smile, still complete with his trademark dimples.Changkyun nods rapidly in response, the threat of Kihyun’s mental breakdown still hanging dangerously in the air. Even the people who have no idea what they’re supposed to be doing try to occupy themselves with something, the bunny guy rearranging chairs into random positions, the muscled bear fumbling with the “apple trees”, both trying their hardest to avoid Kihyun’s oncoming wrath. The turtle guy, Hyungwon, has his eyes attached to his phone, doing his best to avoid looking the pink-haired man in his eerily grinning face.

Yeah, Changkyun understands the terror they feel _completely._ His brother is small and thin, but when he reaches that breaking point, every inch of him is filled with terrifying rage, and in no way does Changkyun want any of that directed at him. He speedwalks after Jooheon, intent on avoiding Kihyun as much as possible. The other man is walking just as fast, if not faster, and Changkyun can feel his terror-induced heartbeat calm a little at the jiggling of the other’s onesie stinger with his steps.  

It’s so adorable, and he almost bumps into Jooheon, watching his bouncing backside so intently that he doesn’t notice the halted movement. Changkyun mumbles out a stuttered _sorry,_ before ducking his head to the ground in embarrassment, and he starts to fumble with the tangled cords. A field of yellow enters the corner of his vision, and he hears a light hum begin as another pair of hands enters the box next to his.

The two of them work side by side, coordinating perfectly as they untangle the wires. Jooheon’s soft song sets the mood at ease, and the occasional brush of their hands together gives him warm, fluffy feelings that Changkyun usually only acknowledges buried deep in his blankets when he’s watching puppy videos at 4 a.m.

As the box slowly empties with their efficient work ethic, Changkyun racks his brain for something to say. _How’s it going?_ No. _You’re really pretty._ No. _You’re really pretty and I want to kiss you until-_ yeah, definitely no. Ok, how about _I’m sorry for bumping into you earlier?_ Yeah, that seems fine. Apologies are a normal part of societal standards, right? Changkyun’s a perfectly functioning member of society. Great, ok, approved.

Just as he opens his dry mouth to smoothly deliver his line (or at least attempt to), it’s interrupted by an accented warble:

 

_And I'm on tonight you know my hips don't lie_

_And I'm starting to feel it's right_

_All the attraction, the tension_

_Don't you see baby, this is perfection_

 

 _Who the fuck has a Shakira ringtone, really._ _  
_ Changkyun’s silent question is soon answered when the bunny guy, Hoseok, takes out his phone and runs to the hallway. “Gun-ah? What is it? I can’t hear you, Kihyun is barking orders at everybody…”

Kihyun is, in fact, barking orders. He’s standing precariously on a plastic stool, waving a fallen branch around like a conductor’s baton. “Yah, can someone else please phone Minhyuk? He should’ve been here twenty minutes ago! Also, what are you doing with that vase! Hyungwon, do something useful and phone Minhyuk again!”

Hyungwon escapes with his phone into the hallway, just as Hoseok comes running back, looking pale and worried.

  
“Kihyun! Gunhee says he can’t make it in time for the show!”

  
“HE _WHAT_?” Kihyun whips around, the branch he was waving falling to the ground.

  
“He says he’s sorry, but a coworker of his suddenly had to go home and Gunhee’s taking over his shift, he can’t do anything about it! You know he can’t miss work, he needs the money and all-”

  
“Yeah yeah, I know, he’s just a volunteer here,” sighs Kihyun. He sits down on the stool and covers his face with both hands, the picture of a broken man. Out of said man’s earshot, Jooheon whispers something that sounds distinctly like “oh shit.”

  
Hoseok looks pityingly at Kihyun and reaches out a comforting hand. “I’m sorry Kihyun, I guess we’ll just have to do without the wolf rapper…”

  
_Wolf rapper?_ _What the hell is this performance about?_ Changkyun decides it’s better not to ask: he’s not sure he wants to know. Actually, he’s not going to stay because he really only came to help set up the stage to keep Kihyun quiet.  
He’s definitely not planning to stay and watch the show to spend more time with Jooheon. That’d be pathetic. He’s obviously not going down that route.

Well maybe, he could catch the beginning of the show? He helped set it up, it’s only fair…

Something must click in Kihyun’s mind because he suddenly looks up and stares Changkyun down with a slightly manic light in his eyes.

  
“Changkyun, you can rap!”

  
He’s not sure he likes where this is going. “Yes?”

  
“We have a spare onesie somewhere in the storeroom, and I bet it fits you: Gunhee is about your size…”

  
Changkyun observes as his brother stands up and starts pacing in circles, his eyes still lit up maniacally. He _definitely_ doesn’t like where this is going.

  
“Changkyun, you can be the wolf rapper!”

  
_"What?_ Hell, no!”

  
“Come on, it’s perfect!”

  
“It’s not perfect at all! Hyung, I’m not going to perform in an animal onesie in front of snot nosed kids who won’t appreciate my talent! It’s not going to happen! Forget it!”

Seriously, what the hell? Changkyun is actually contemplating the idea of making a dash for his car and leaving the camp, maybe even the city or the country (that idea he had about becoming Pedro the Andes farmer is sounding more and more inviting), and he’s starting to count in his mind how long it would take for Kihyun to catch up with him (he can make it, his brother isn’t exactly the athletic type), when Jooheon speaks up, breaking him out of his paranoia induced thoughts.

  
“Wait, you rap?” he says with a look of pure admiration.

  
“Huh? Um, yeah sometimes...it’s nothing serious, though, I’m not that good…” he stutters out nervously.

  
The other beams at him. “I bet you’re amazing! I’d really like to hear you perform!”

  
_Don’t do it Changkyun, your dignity will never recover from this! Run to the car and get the hell away from this place!_ whispers a panicked voice in his head; the voice of reason and good sense, probably.

 _  
_ _But he said he’d really like to hear you rap! You might impress him! Go for it, Changkyun!_ cheers another one, that one voice that obviously isn’t troubled by the idea of him dressing up in a wolf onesie.

Of course, the voice of reason doesn’t even stand a chance against Jooheon’s pleading eyes and dimpled smile, so Changkyun quietly resigns himself to his fate.

“Ok, I’ll do it. Hyung, where’s the costume? Also, do I even have a script?”

  
Looking like he was just elected as the Pope, Kihyun gleefully leads him to the storeroom, accompanied by an especially excited Jooheon, who babbles nonstop, asking him how long has he been rapping, what kind of artists does he listen to, does he mix his own tapes, etc.

  
As he’s being dragged along, Changkyun reflects that maybe, provided he has enough soju, he’ll forget about this ultimate humiliation. Maybe.

  
He looks over shyly at the still rambling bumblebee, and decides that it’s worth it.

Definitely.  


	3. Stuck (baby don't worry)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jooheon definitely wasn’t expecting piercing dark eyes, a serious face and that aloof, effortlessly cool, almost untouchable aura.

Kihyun actually did mention his little brother many times, but it was always through casual, unimportant remarks like “Oh yeah, my brother is studying in Boston right now”, or “Changkyun-ah hates this song, I should link him the video”. There was a time he even mentioned his brother liked to rap and had some kind of nickname, but that was it. 

These pieces of information were so random that Jooheon never managed to form a clear mental image of the guy; he kinda imagined Kihyun’s little brother to be a younger version of Kihyun himself, sassy as hell, smart (well, he did win a scholarship to study in Boston for three years, some science prize), a bit of a nerd - Jooheon definitely wasn’t expecting piercing dark eyes, a serious face and that aloof, effortlessly cool, almost untouchable aura. 

And that low, _low_ voice. 

Thankfully Changkyun didn’t seem to be the talkative type, because seriously, Jooheon could melt every time he opened his mouth.  
Then, Gunhee deserted them and Kihyun asked his brother to fill in for him and to say that Jooheon was impressed by Changkyun’s rap would be an understatement. It was smooth, stable, and that husky voice, sweet jesus, Jooheon could listen to it for hours.  
He even missed a step or two because he was busy gaping at Changkyun, which earned him a murderous glare from Kihyun when he caught him in the act. The children didn’t seem to notice, fortunately, too wrapped up in the show, with its colorful props and cheerful lights, to pay attention to such details (except for Nayeon, that adorable little shit, who pointed at him and giggled).

When they wrapped up the show and the whole cast bowed to their small audience, Jooheon spotted Changkyun pressed between Kihyun and Hyungwon, looking supremely embarrassed, so he flashed him an encouraging smile and waved at the audience.

It’s only later, when they’re busy cleaning up, that Jooheon musters the courage to approach Changkyun. It’s not the easiest thing to do, not when the guy has a perpetual scowl on his face and looks like even the fact that you’re breathing next to him is an incredibly offensive act.

“Yo! Um, Changkyun-ah?”

The other looks up from the plastic chair he’s folding and pierces Jooheon once again with that dark, serious stare. “Yeah?”

_Come on, tell him! Get it!_

“You were great on stage before - “

Hoseok pops up from absolutely nowhere, grinning and swatting his sweaty bangs out of his eyes, landing a friendly pat on Jooheon’s shoulder. “Kihyun never told us you were _this_ good, man!”

Changkyun looks surprised and actually flashes Hoseok a tiny smile.

“Thank you hyung, um, it wasn’t anything special but...thanks.”

Hoseok smiles brightly at this, looking more than ever like a Calvin Klein model.

“No problem, it’s true! Come with me, I’ll introduce you to the rest of the gang!”  
He points at the doorway, where a small group of young women just appeared carrying pastry trays and fencing off cheering kids.  
Changkyun looks briefly at Jooheon, who grins weakly at him, and follows Hoseok.

Damn Hoseok and his stupid smooth lines. Couldn’t he have thought of that?

Jooheon is so frustrated at himself, he kinda wants to bang his head on the nearest wall. Why does he have zero finesse when it comes to flirting? It’s not his fault the only person he’s ever dated, Gunhee, liked simple things and considered sharing a pepero box or a bag of chips the most romantic thing in the world.  
He’s so lost in his thoughts he doesn’t notice Bora, the young woman who volunteers as a dance teacher at the camp, approach him with two armfuls of cookie trails and napkins, which she dumps in Jooheon’s arms. 

“Why are you moping, Bumblebee?” she asks, a slight smile playing on her beautiful face. “Help us set the table, the kids are getting frantic seeing all these cookies, they’ll start chewing on our legs soon if we don’t hurry up.”

He casts a quick glance over and some kids are indeed staring with badly disguised longing at the pastry trails floating around out of their reach. Jooheon can see one of the taller kids, Yugyeom, stand on his tiptoes to sneak a biscuit out of the tray Minhyuk is holding, his best friend Jungkook snickering quietly behind him. On the other side of the room, Hyunwoo has managed to conjure a foldable picnic table and other children are starting to roam around it, their eyes huge with anticipation.

The sight makes him chuckle and he feels marginally better as he follows Bora to the table, but this flash of happiness is cut short when the dance teacher turns towards him with a mischievous smile and whispers “Who is the cutie wearing Gunhee’s costume? Did Kihyun decide to substitute the old wolf rapper with a wolf pup?”

Jooheon follows her line of sight and finds Changkyun bowing slightly to Hyojung, the music teacher, and Seulgi, who teaches art. Both of them are smiling at the wolf boy, while Hoseok, with a protective arm slung across his shoulders (as if they were old chums) chants their new rapper’s praises. 

Jooheon looks away, feeling irrationally grumpy and more than a little stupid because _come on_ , he can’t possibly feel jealous over someone he met barely an hour ago! Who does that?  
Still, he doesn’t reply to Bora’s cheeky comment and if he sets down the tray with a little more force than necessary, nobody seems to notice.  
Jooheon is glad when one of the kid’s parents approaches him to congratulate him on the show. As he listens to Seokjin gush over how much Jungkook likes those shows, how much fun he has at the camp - strategically ruffling his hair and glancing over at Bora every now and then with a smile Jooheon supposes should look seductive - he can distract himself from his bad mood. 

Also, the thought that there are people much more embarrassing than himself who manage to get laid and have kids is kinda reassuring. If _Seokjin_ can do it, so can Jooheon.

He doesn’t find himself face to face with Changkyun for a good twenty minutes, during which Hoseok has apparently managed to introduce the newcomer to the whole staff and most of the kids too. The children seem actually very happy about their new wolf rapper, and Jooheon can’t help but notice how pink Changkyun’s cheeks and ears get with each compliment he receives. The boy looks adorably flustered and Jooheon only manages to tear his eyes away from him because Dahyun, one of the youngest kids at the camp, trips over her own feet and spills iced tea on Hyungwon’s sneakers. Crap.

Jooheon starts to count to himself, waiting for Kihyun’s anguished cry.

“The flooooooooooooooooor!”

Panic ensues, everybody running around to fetch napkins; in the general chaos, Jooheon meets Changkyun’s wide eyes and gestures at him to slip out of the room.  
The wolf boy nods and the two of them slide away unnoticed.

They take refuge in one of the unused classrooms and Changkyun slumps ungracefully into the nearest chair, looking like he just escaped a war zone (which, to be fair, he kinda did), while Jooheon collapses in one of those plastic kid chairs, struggling to catch his breath. For a while they stay silent, both busy trying to keep their lungs from exploding, listening to the distant warlike screams echoing through the halls. 

Jooheon finally risks a glance in Changkyun’s direction and finds the other staring back at him with dark, comically wide eyes. They burst out laughing simultaneously,  
doubling over, Jooheon’s hyena laugh meeting Changkyun’s surprisingly high pitched one, until they’re wiping away tears on the sleeves of their animal onesies.

“Oh-oh my god,” wheezes Jooheon, “did you see his-his _face_?”

Changkyun manages to stop laughing for two seconds, just long enough to scrunch up his face to copy the typical (and super ugly) “surprised Kihyun” expression, and Jooheon completely loses it, throwing his head back and laughing so hard his ribs hurt. Changkyun starts laughing again, shameless and carefree, and Jooheon can’t help but notice how cute he looks, red-cheeked and out of breath, how nice it is to see him without his usual resting bitch face. 

He looks young and sweet and Jooheon swears, his heart skips a beat or two. 

This realization sobers him up quickly, and he does the thing he usually does when he’s nervous: saying the first thing that comes into his mind (he actually started to absent mindedly sing a church hymn once, but he prefers not to remember that particular episode). 

“Is Kihyun hyung like this at home too?”

Changkyun grimaces. “Worse, here he can’t swear because of the kids. I suppose he can’t throw stuff either.”

“He _throws stuff_ at you???”

“Sometimes, but his aim is terrible, he never actually hits me. And it’s mostly his slippers he throws anyway.” 

Jooheon smiles at that, picturing a grinning Changkyun running up a flight of stairs, while Kihyun angrily waves a fuzzy slipper at him. 

“To be honest, I kinda missed it when I was in Boston, but I realized how stupid I was once I went back to live with him.”

Jooheon senses the chance to gather more information about the boy he might be starting to have a crush on and grabs it. His motto isn’t “Let’s get it” for nothing.

“Boston sounds so cool bro, what did you do there? Hyung told us you had some kind of scholarship…”

Changkyun’s face is back to its usual deadpan state, but thankfully he doesn’t look annoyed at the other’s question. 

“I went there to study biochemistry. The university I went to had this really advanced lab-” he cuts himself off abruptly, probably feeling like he was talking too much.

“Um, anyways, it was cool. What about you, hyung?”  
He’s suddenly staring at Jooheon, those piercing eyes fixed on him, scanning him.

_Play it cool Jooheon. Play. It. Cool._

Jooheon clears his throats and tries to muster that nonchalantly cool tone Hoseok always uses when talking about his fitness regime, the tone that says “I can probably lift two grown men simultaneously but I’m not going to brag about it because I’m not a douche”.

“Oh, I just study music, composition, that kind of stuff. It’s pretty neat.”

Changkyun looks slightly impressed, (Jooheon has to stop himself from dabbing as celebration) and they spend some precious minutes talking about music and how studying composition helps Jooheon write better raps. 

“Actually, that’s what I wanted to study too, but my father insisted I go into science, like him, so -” Changkyun is interrupted again, this time by a timid knock on the door.

“Shit, they found us!” panics Jooheon, wriggling in his stupid plastic chair. “Who is it?” he calls out louder.

“Oppa, it’s Cheng Xiao! Can I come in?” comes a little voice from the other side of the door. Jooheon deflates in relief, thankful it’s not Kihyun.

“Sure, come in. How did you find us, anyway?”

The little girl beams proudly at him from the doorway and chirps “I looked into every classroom! Kihyun oppa says you two have to come out and help us clean everything, no excuses!”. She squints at them in a surprisingly good imitation of Kihyun and marches back to the main room, her little shoes squeaking noisily on the hardwood floor.

Jooheon lets out a weary sigh. It was going so well, Changkyun was actually opening up to him a bit, they even had things in common! He was kinda hoping he’d get to spend more time talking to the other boy, maybe figuring out more about him - _like his romantic preferences_ \- but Kihyun hyung just _had_ to ruin the mood.

He wriggles in his chair again, trying to get up, but his thighs seem to be firmly encased in bright yellow plastic and don’t move at all. “What the-shit!”  
He pulls again, trying to remove that yellow monstrosity from his butt, but the chair sticks to him like glue. Jooheon starts to sweat under Changkyun’s questioning gaze.

“Hyung? What’s going on?”

Jooheon is seriously starting to panic. What if they have to go to the hospital to remove the stupid chair? What is he going to do? How is he even going to get there, with that thing stuck on his lower half?

What is Changkyun going to think of him?  
He tries to play it cool and wiggles some more, silently raising a prayer to God to let his butt be free from the yellow abomination and cursing himself for not thinking about the size of his thighs before deciding to sit in a chair meant for five year olds.

“Hyung? Are you stuck?” Changkyun rises from his chair, brow furrowed in concern.

_Please, God, please, he can’t see me like this, please…_

“Uh, um, it’s fine, I’m just- ooooh shit!” he curses as he topples to the ground, kiddy chair still firmly glued to his butt.

_That’s it. I’ll have to go hide in the mountains. Please, God, let me have a concussion. Please._

Jooheon lays on his side, faintly wishing he was dead, or at least knocked out flat. He thinks he can feel the cold breath of Death on his neck, but it turns out to be Changkyun, bent over him with a pained expression on his face, looking like he’s trying not to piss himself.

“Hyung? Are you hurt?” 

The corners of his mouth turn up a bit, then down again. 

_Oh God, he’s going to laugh at me. Jesus._

Jooheon has to admit, the situation is pretty funny. He pictures the scene, a guy dressed as a giant bee sprawled on the ground with a kiddy chair glued to his backside, and he starts to laugh as well, soft chuckles that turn into open mouthed, hyena-like laughter again. Changkyun is on the ground as well, holding his stomach, laughing that high pitched, breathless giggle of his, and Jooheon thinks that maybe it’s worth making himself look like a complete fool, just to hear this beautiful boy laugh.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hiya, Kurookano here! Sorry for the delay, life got in the way and...yeah. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter <3 also we have more or less the whole story planned and some of it written down already, so chapters will probably come out faster *Famous_Last_Words.mp3
> 
> as usual you can find us on tumblr!


	4. i got my eyes on you

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Changkyun starts getting comfortable with everyone at the Camp. 
> 
> Well, there's one exception of course, in the form of a charming parent.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> author kurookano told me to tell y'all that she busted a nut trying to write this and that p.s. pcy is also apparently a furry. not my words, hers.

Seeing the look of evil satisfaction on Kihyun’s face as he signs the papers that officially make him a slave - uh, an employee at Happy Safari Camp, Changkyun is vaguely reminded of those movies where the naive protagonist accidentally makes a deal with the devil.

  
Truthfully, the deal isn’t that bad. It’s a part time job, meaning that he only has to work in the afternoons. Also his duties are not that complex (nor do they always require him to wear an animal onesie): greet the kids, give them snacks, make sure they do their homework, help the volunteer teachers when the kids get a bit too hyperactive, sometimes dress in that wolf costume and make the kids laugh.

The pay is meager, but he does it for a good cause.

 

Well, two good causes, actually.

  
The first is that, as Kihyun told him, Safari Happy Camp is a project by Minhyuk and Hoseok, who decided to open an after school centre where kids could stay in the afternoon when nobody could pick them up. They got the funds from some rich somebody who wanted to look good by investing their money on social causes, which happens to be just enough to pay for the structure, materials and minimal staff.

 

The second - and most important - good cause has dark hair, round dimpled cheeks and goes by the name of Lee Jooheon.

 

Okay, Changkyun only accepted the job because he’d get to spend time with Jooheon, but nobody (he hopes) suspects it, so he can lie to himself and pretend he signed up because Hoseok and Minhyuk’s interest in educating children deeply moved him.

 

\-----------

 

The next afternoon, Changkyun walks through the brightly colored hallway of his new workplace with a sense of _purpose_. The daily horoscope that morning read “a great day for Aquarius, the person you like will finally talk to you, refrain from eating oranges”. He didn’t really get the oranges part, but he wore his special pair of skinny jeans, the one that hangs low enough that you can see the tiniest bit of his Calvin Kleins showing when he stretches his arms and the shirt rides up.

 

Not that he expects it to go anywhere; he’s not that confident.

 

Still, it’s worth a try.

As usual, they’re opening up early to get everything ready before the kids arrive.  
Despite the cold outside, the corridors are nice and warm, made even more cozy by the drawings and colorful posters pasted on the walls. Changkyun sees the ugly drawing again, the one signed “Joohoney” and smiles at it, at Jooheon’s scribble in the corner, at the cute nickname.

 

“It’s so ugly, the kids decided to hang it,” comes a voice from behind him, startling Changkyun out of his rosy-tinted daydreams.  
“Noona, you scared me!” he yelps, but it comes out in his usual low tone and Seulgi just laughs at him.

“Come on, we need to get the materials ready for the kids. Hoseok oppa and Hyunwoo oppa are setting up the psychomotor room for Bora unnie.”

  
Speak of the devil, Hoseok emerges from the nearest storeroom carrying many colorful hoops and a huge green pilates ball. He’s wearing a pair of sweats and a tank top cropped a bit too high that show off frankly impressive biceps and broad shoulders.

Changkyun wants to kick himself in the face because seriously, if Jooheon is used to seeing this guy everyday, what chances does Changkyun have, in his old jeans and flimsy Boston University hoodie, to catch the other’s attention? Even if Jooheon’s interested in guys, he reasons miserably, nobody in their right state of mind would notice _him_ when there’s Hoseok around.

 

Changkyun feels a bit guilty as he tries to return Hoseok’s bright welcome and warm smile, so he rushes after Seulgi to the art lab, where he busies himself with uncomplicated but important tasks like sorting glue-hardened brushes from good ones and making sure all the scissors in the box are of the blunt tipped variety.

 

It’s relaxing, especially after Seulgi sets up the stereo and soft piano music starts to play. She catches Changkyun’s eye and smiles. “The kids focus better with this kind of music, it helps them relax and concentrate only on painting. It’s a great way for them to unwind and try their hands at something creative.”  
  
Changkyun remembers his solitary afternoons at home, when Kihyun was at cram school and both his parents were away for work, and he has to admit, he would’ve liked to have a place like this. “It’s wonderful” he replies shyly, still busy sorting out the supplies.  
  
“It is!” chirps Seulgi, “too bad they don’t have the funds to hire us as teachers permanently, it would be the most peaceful and interesting workplace ever!”  
  
The image of Kihyun standing on a stool barking orders suddenly pops up in Changkyun’s mind and he’s about to ask if his brother is included in the “peaceful and interesting” description, when he hears a familiar, nasal rap coming closer and closer.  
  
“ _Getting paid well holla whenever that stop_ \- yo! You really came!”

Jooheon is grinning from the doorway, wearing a black sweater, ripped jeans, oversized glasses and a beanie hat. He looks completely different without his honeybee onesie - _and the lipgloss_ , supplies Changkyun’s mind unhelpfully. He looks cool but still so _pretty,_ with dark wavy hair peeking out from his hat, heart shaped lips and deep dimples forming the most charming smile Changkyun has ever seen.

His reply comes out in a gurgle.

 

“Wohgfle-cough- I mean, yes, I came. Um.”

 

Jooheon’s grin gets even brighter and only after Seulgi has pointedly cleared her throat, does he remember that there’s someone else in the room. Jooheon greets her with an apologetic bow, then hurries to sit on the desk next to Changkyun, who has finished sorting scissors and is currently checking that all the glue sticks are usable.

“Bro, I’m so happy! Are you going to help here in the art lab then?”  
  
Changkyun shakes his head. “Kihyun said that since I’m a good student, I should help the kids with their homework.”  
  
“Me too! Well, I’m not a good student, but I’ve been banned from the art lab-”  
“Because your drawing skills are terrible!” quips Seulgi from behind a stack of paint stained cardboard boxes.  
“-yeah, that, also Bora noona doesn’t want me in her dance room, she says I dab too much, so I’ve been assigned to homework duty.” he finishes with a rueful smile. “ Thank god you’re going to be with me, usually it’s just Kihyun hyung and I, it’s so stressful…”

 

Changkyun’s heart lifts at that, but mostly at the prospect of spending the next couple of hours working closely with Jooheon, so when Hoseok pops his head through the door to announce that some of the kids have arrived, Changkyun practically rushes to his feet to greet them.

\--------

 

Not even Kihyun’s quips, Cheng Xiao sobbing over a particularly difficult geometry question and Yoongi falling asleep on the desk and actually toppling off his chair manage to ruin Changkyun’s good mood.  
The children are quiet, most of them focused on their homework, only calling him when they need help with something, so Changkyun can actually spend most of those two and a half hours stealing glances at Jooheon, who has removed his beanie and looks even more adorable with tousled hair.

 

Changkyun’s good mood lasts even after closing time, when he finds out he shares his next turn (in two days) with Jooheon again.

 

Both of them being university students, they have similar schedules and free time slots, and since neither of them are gym junkies like Hoseok and Hyunwoo, or a sleepyhead like Hyungwon, they’re free to take turns at the Camp.

Jooheon smiles brightly at him when he finds out they’ll be working together often, and Changkyun’s heart does a double flip.

He’s about to suggest giving Jooheon a ride home, but the older boy waves at him and rushes to the bus stop before Changkyun can say a word.

 

Still, he feels warm and happier than he’s been in months, so much that he’s actually able to tune out both Kihyun’s complaints about the radio -“ _they’re playing Shakira again, what is this, is it her own private radio or something”-_ too busy replaying the scenes from that afternoon in his mind, every quirk of Jooheon’s dimpled smile, every lilt of his voice as he had answered the kids’ questions.

 

\------

 

Almost a month in, everything is going much more smoothly than Changkyun expected. He thought he’d be terrible at dealing with kids, but most of them seem to appreciate his quiet support and his help with the most difficult math problems.

 

He was even allowed in the music lab once or twice and Hyojung, the pretty young woman in charge of music lessons, actually praised him for his deep voice.  
He blushed as she said that girls usually liked boys with that kind of low, smooth tone, and he couldn’t help but wonder if even boys, particularly the really cute ones who always wears ripped jeans and hoodies even when it starts to snow, would find his voice charming.

 

Changkyun certainly finds the other boy _very_ charming.

 

Every gesture Jooheon makes, every time his eyes sink into slits when he smiles, every time he catches the older boy rapping absentmindedly to himself while wiping the desks after closing, Changkyun feels like he’s falling deeper and deeper. He often catches himself staring, observing how Jooheon bends down to listen to a kid’s question about their essay, the way his eyes light up in understanding, the sympathetic nods he gives when a child complains about their problems at school. Changkyun often finds himself peeking at the soft muscle of the other’s arms when he shrugs off his hoodie, at his _wonderful_ thighs wrapped in denim, mentally scolding himself for allowing his eyes to wander.

 

Most of all, though, he observes Jooheon’s face.

 

One rainy afternoon Changkyun raises tired eyes from Dahyun’s maths notebook and notices Jooheon staring thoughtfully out of the window, watching the wind thrash tree branches around and huge, freezing raindrops crash against the glass, seemingly trying to catch the colorful paper butterflies the children had prepared and pasted onto the window some days ago.

Bathed in that cold, wintery light, still and soft and _warm_ against that apocalyptic landscape, Jooheon steals Changkyun’s complete attention.

 

Suddenly, he’s reminded of a book he read a while ago, in Boston.

Like Changkyun, the protagonist often found himself looking at the person he loved, drinking in the sight of her.

 

_“I could lose myself forever in that singular little face, in the pessimism of her beautiful mouth.”_

  
Jooheon’s mouth isn’t exactly pessimistic, but it surely is beautiful, and Changkyun spends many feverish, endless minutes studying it, along with every other feature of the older boy’s face, the slight, lovely profile, the gentle slope of his nose, his high cheekbones, his half moon eyes.

 

In short, Changkyun is utterly smitten.

 

Some of the kids seem to have noticed and being children, they don’t spare Changkyun any sass.

 

One afternoon, he’s dragged out of one of his usual Jooheon-induced rêverie by Yoongi’s lazy drawl. “Hyung, can you please stop staring at Honey hyung and help me with this question?”  
There wasn’t any malice in the kid’s tone, just a bit of his usual rudeness, and Changkyun was definitely too shook to scold him.

Thank god Jooheon was out of hearing.

 

Then there was the time when little Sojung, sporting a devilish smile, presented Changkyun with a bouquet of paper flowers, complete with a congratulatory card.

“Jimin and I made these, so you can give them to Honey oppa if you want to!”

The card read, in bright pink crayon: “honey hyung you r preety, love, wolf teachher” and Changkyun almost had a heart attack (partially caused by cuteness, to be honest).

He didn’t give the paper bouquet to Jooheon, preferring to keep what was left of his dignity intact. Instead, he placed it in his room, hiding the card in a drawer, away from Kihyun’s prying eyes.

 

Shit hit the proverbial fan when he was asked to assist Seulgi during a art lesson (Hyungwon was called for a photoshoot, so he was busy being fashionable and beautiful on the other side of the city).

It was going smoothly enough, each kid completely absorbed in their own drawings, the usual relaxing music playing from the stereo. Changkyun was helping Lu Da copy a dragonfly from a picture book, when he got startled by high pitched giggling.

Seulgi was sitting next to Taehyung (whom Changkyun had come to  associate with an impressively realistic drawing of a squirrel with elaborate butterfly wings and laserbeam eyes that hung in the hallway), her eyes watery from laughter. “Changkyun-ah, come look at TaeTae’s drawing!”

  
Changkyun was expecting the usual weirdness, maybe a cyborg turtle with long, wavy tresses and a shotgun. He definitely wasn’t expecting a portrait of himself, dressed like a fairytale prince, threatening a huge spider-like monster with a glowing sword. Next to him, Taehyung had drawn Jooheon as a fainting damsel, wearing a pink, glittery gown and a surprisingly accurate expression of terror.

Above the scene, untidy hangul read “Prince Changkyun-hyung saves Honey-hyung from the ugly spider monster”.

  
The kid beamed at Changkyun, apparently very satisfied with his work, while the young teacher went through the five stages of grief all at once and Seulgi tried to camouflage her giggles as a coughing fit.

 

“Um, it’s, uh…” choked Changkyun “very...artistic...yeah…”

 

Much to his chagrin, it caught the attention of the whole class, everyone getting up to look at Taehyung’s picture, making cooing noises and showering the little devil with praise.

“You got Honey oppa’s face just right!” piped up Nayeon, biting on a crayon.

“It’s very romantic, can you draw me as a fox next time?” asked Chanyeol, while Dahyun suggested he add more flowers and birds.

 

Changkyun tuned it all out, still staring in distress at the picture. Seulgi must have noticed his state of crisis, because she placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.

“TaeTae doesn’t mean anything by this, I think it’s just his way of showing affection. Also, he _did_ get Jooheon-ah’s expression just right!”

\------

 

Thinking back to these episodes, Changkyun can’t help but wonder.

_Am I really that obvious?_

Because, either he’s completely transparent, or the kids are the actual spawn of Satan (which doesn’t seem too far off in some cases) and are gifted with mind reading powers.

 

He’d really prefer it to be the latter.

 

Thankfully, his co-workers don’t seem to notice anything and if they do, they keep quiet and keep treating Changkyun like a loving dongsaeng.

  
Actually, Changkyun was very surprised when he realized, in the middle of a chattery coffee break, how attached he has grown to his fellow slaves. Of course, the teachers are nice as well, and in the past weeks he has come to appreciate Momo’s dorkiness and cute accent, Seulgi’s and Dasom’s friendly manners, Hyojung’s maternal side (not to mention her heavenly voice, which could be heard in the whole Camp during her lessons), and Bora’s effortlessly cool personality.

 

Most of all, though, he has come to depend on his hyungs: quiet but warm Hyunwoo, who always carries the heavy stuff and helps Bora with her dance lessons; sensitive, charming Hoseok, who makes the young mothers blush when they come to get their children; bright, hyperactive Minhyuk, who brings in sunshine even during stormy days. But also sleepy, smart Hyungwon, who looks distracted most of the time but is actually super caring and always brings candies for the kids, and even Kihyun, who’s a total mood killer when it comes to his friends, but a real motherly figure to the children.

The one he has grown closest to, of course, is Jooheon, with his Drake obsession and Nike hoodies; Jooheon who looks tough and soft at the same time and makes Changkyun’s heart flutter without even doing anything.

 

Also, despite his initial fears (the first parent he got to meet was Seokjin, after all), even the kids’ parents turned out to be alright. They never get to interact much, mostly because they’re usually in a hurry, but he’s had no negative experiences so far. The one he’s most familiar with is Seokjin, with his window wiper laugh and dad jokes, always showing up wearing very ripped jeans and a coy smirk (usually reserved for Bora, much to everybody’s hilarity). Junmyeon, Chanyeol’s father, is also a familiar presence at the Camp, popping up wearing expensive suits and always looking a minute away from a mental breakdown. Hoseok once told Changkyun that Junmyeon is very stressed about his son’s obsession with foxes, especially because Chanyeol is supposed to inherit his father’s corporation when he gets older; Changkyun imagined Chanyeol as an adult attending a formal meeting in a fursuit and almost choked on his coke.

Speaking of rich, elegant parents, Soyou is probably the best example, with her flawless hair, diamond earrings, and high heels at all hours of the day. She’s probably the only mother that shows up wearing expensive furs and driving a sleek foreign car, which means she could probably afford a private tutor for her two little girls, but she seems satisfied enough with the Camp and always gives Sojung and Lu Da expensive sweets to share with the other children.

All in all, Changkyun’s relationship with the parents is detached but friendly, and he’s actually starting to let down his guard, at least until Jackson Wang aka Mr. Buffy Buff shows up.

 

It’s a cold, damp Thursday evening, all piercing rain and fog, and Changkyun is thanking the gods he goes to work by car because he’d rather sleep at the Camp than go out under that shitty weather. Jooheon seems to share his feeling, because he’s been whining and pouting adorably for the past fifteen minutes, watching with increased anxiety as the wind picked up speed and howled against the windows, until Hyojung got too annoyed and sent him back to clean the art lab.

The only upside to this is that Changkyun is finally going to be able to offer Jooheon a ride home.

The thought makes him giddy, (he caught Hoseok giving him a strange look earlier that day and tried to force his face into its usual deadpan state) and if he wishes the rain won’t stop until they’re all safely home, well, a guy can afford to be selfish once in awhile.

 

The kids start leaving, bundled up in colorful raincoats, waving cheerfully, their parents bowing before going. It’s messy and loud and the floor is completely soaked. Kihyun’s eye is starting to twitch, so it takes a while for Changkyun to notice that Yugyeom didn’t leave with Jungkook like usual. Minhyuk notices the kid sitting quietly by himself and approaches him.

 

“Yugyeom-ah, isn’t Kookie’s dad driving you home today?”

 

The boy shakes his head no. “My dad said he’d be able to pick me up today!”

 

“That’s great!” beams Minhyuk, “it’s been awhile since we last saw him! Hoseok, Jackson is going to show up today!”

 

Hoseok stops mopping the floor, looking tired as hell, and gives a thumbs up.

“Last time we met, it was at the gym, and he said they had changed his schedule, so maybe that’s it?”

 

“Yeah, probably...speak of the devil, hi Jackson!” cheers Minhyuk as a rain soaked figure stumbles through the door, cursing under his breath.

 

“Why is the weather in this city so shitty?”

 

“Bro, no cursing in front of the kids!” chides Hoseok, “also, why don’t you have an umbrella?”

  
Not only does the new guy not carry an umbrella, he’s not even wearing a jacket! Who goes out like that in freaking November?

 

“Sorry, sorry! Hi guys! Hey, kid!” Jackson greets with an overly cheerful voice that immediately sets Changkyun on edge.

 

It only gets worse as the guy takes off his soaked hoodie and Changkyun manages to take a good look at him.

 

The guy is built like a Greek god, all hard muscles and tanned skin, even more evident since he’s only wearing a muscle shirt, but it doesn’t stop at that. He’s got a jawline sharp enough to cut stone, handsome features and a wicked smile to boot.

 

Shit, he’s hot.

 

He’s not Changkyun’s type, but he can’t deny the guy is very good looking. He’s suddenly very glad that Jooheon is busy wiping the desks in the art lab, safely away from this buff, hot guy and his stupidly attractive, rain soaked hair.

 

Of course, as soon as he thinks that, Jooheon enters the room, rapping to himself in broken English.

“Aww, is it still raining? Come _on_!”

 

Changkyun doesn’t miss the way Jackson immediately turns towards the older boy, features lighting up.

 

“Look who’s here! My favourite rapper!”

_Excuse me?_

_His what?_

 

Jooheon is initially a bit taken aback, but he beams at the buff guy (or, as Changkyun has started calling him in his head, Buffy Buff).

“Sunbaenim!”

 

“Jooheon-ah, I told you not to call me that!”

 

Jackson walks up to him, glaring in mock-offense.

“I know, I know, I was just joking! How are you? It’s been awhile, huh?”

 

“Yeah, things at the gym got a bit hectic. My schedule was such a literal hell I couldn’t even pick my kid up from school! How did it go today champ?”

 

Yugyeom hugs his dad tight, chirping away about his homework.

“Yeah, yeah, you’ll tell me about it in the car, ok? Go get ready love.”  
  
As he watches Yugyeom run to get his schoolbag, Changkyun is suddenly reminded that hey, this guy, as young as he looks, is somehow a father? And he’s touching Jooheon’s arm??

What?

 

“You’re even prettier than I remember, Jooheon-ah.”  
Much to Changkyun’s horror, Jooheon blushes a deep scarlet.

 

“What are you talking about…”

  
“It’s true! This haircut suits you so much…” and like that, Jackson is touching Jooheon’s hair, smoothing it back behind his ears.

 

“Hyuuuung, stop it!”

 

“What, can’t I compliment a beautiful person when I see one? Don’t be shy!”  
Jackson playfully pokes Jooheon’s cheek, and right then and there, Changkyun feels like he might either self combust or punch him.

 

This guy is flirting with Jooheon.

No, even worse, he’s shamelessly coming onto him as if they were the only ones in the room!

Thankfully, Kihyun chooses that moment to walk in the room and clears his throat rather loudly.

 

“Excuse me, could you two please take the flirting outside? This is a place where we educate the kids, not where we make them, you know.”

“Hyung!!! That’s not even how it works!”

 

“I know, still, enough cheese, we have to close up! Yugyeom-ah, keep an eye on your father” he adds to a rushing Yugyeom. “Also, Jackson-ah, have the guys introduced you to the new member of our gang?”

 

For the first time, Jackson seems to notice Changkyun, scanning him from the tip of his scuffed Converse to his ruffled hair.

 

“Oh, so Gunhee doesn’t work here anymore? Too bad, I liked him. Nice to meet you, I’m Jackson” and with that, he reaches out a hand (the hand that played with Jooheon’s hair, notes Changkyun) for him to shake.

 

He’s tempted to ignore it, but Jooheon’s gaze on him tells Changkyun he must behave like an adult and ignore the voice in his head that tells him to kick Buffy Buff in the shins.

 

“I’m Changkyun” he drones out.

“How cute, you’re the youngest one here, aren’t you?”

Changkyun isn’t sure if it’s a compliment or a smart-worded insult, but he’s thankfully saved by Yugyeom who’s complaining that he wants “to go hoooome.”

 

“Yeah, we’re going, we’re going! Yo, pretty boy, you’re coming with us, I’m not letting you catch the bus under this weather!”

 

Jooheon gapes at him. “Who, me? I’m fine, hyung, I have an umbrella and all!”

 

“No way, I’m not letting you catch a cold!”

 

If he wasn’t so mad, Changkyun would’ve reasoned that it’s pretty hypocritical, coming from a guy who’s only wearing a muscle shirt, but he’s too busy seething with rage.

This dude just stole his idea. His very ingenious, original idea.

 

“Come on, Jooheon-ah, I’m not going to let you walk under the rain!”

  
Jooheon sighs in defeat as he fetches his coat.

“Fine, but it’s just because you’re being annoying! You don’t have to baby me, you know!”

  
“Yeah, yeah. Bye everyone! See ya!” He casually pulls Jooheon out the door, one hand on the small of his back and the other clutching his son’s hand.

 

Changkyun didn’t even get to wave goodbye, so he just stands there, a bit shaken and definitely burning with something that’s starting to feel a lot like jealousy.

  
Uh-oh. This isn’t good. He’s caught feelings.


	5. And now my spine shivers from the notes that you speak...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which a fundraising project is started, fake abs make their appearance and the pov actually shifts (never let me write summaries again I beg you)

Jooheon would be lying if he said he’s paying attention to what his hyungs are saying. Truth is, Camp employees meetings are nowhere near as fun as their usual afternoon activities, they’re too filled with complaints about budget cuts, who’s going to unclog the kids’ toilet, lab schedules, in short, the usual mantainence works.

The topic of the evening seems to be the need for new supplies for some of the labs.

“I’m just saying, some of the costumes we use are practically threadbare!” Dasom complains “ I’m not asking for fancy props or fabrics, but we definitely need new costumes.”  
  
Kihyun sighs, scribbling on a sheet of paper. “I get it, but Seulgi also needs new desks for her lab, and the _big guy_ ” (Jooheon presumes he’s referring to Mr. Choi, the owner of the building and co-founder of the Happy Safari Camp) “said he’s only giving us funds for a lab at a time, so your costumes will have to wait, I’m sorry.”  
  
He _does_ look sorry, and so do Minhyuk and Hoseok. Coming up with a nice idea and realizing it are really two different things, Jooheon reasons to himself while toying idly with the plastic spoon sitting in his empty plastic cup.

Hyungwon pipes in, stirring his tea.

“I could ask one of the stylists at the agency if they have something to spare, but most of the clothes we use for the shoots are usually lent to us from other sources, so don’t count too much on it.”

They all sit in silence for a bit, contemplating the Camp’s meager finances. The mood is getting increasingly depressing and Jooheon finds himself wishing that Changkyun was there, at least he’d have something nice to distract himself with.  


Stupid advanced biology classes and stupid, attractively smart _dongsaeng_.  


Momo’s soft voice snaps them all out of their gloomy contemplations.

“I was thinking...what if we do one of those fundraising things? Like in the movies. You know, baking cakes, selling the kids’ artwork, something like that.”

Hoseok looks up from the watery depths of his instant coffee, pale eyebrows furrowing in thought. “Yeah, it could work, but why would the parents buy their kids’ artwork when they can have it for free? Also, we don’t have a kitchen here.”

“Cooking is out of the question, and not because we don’t have a kitchen. I honestly don’t trust Hyunwoo hyung to cook anymore, not after he almost set fire to my apartment back in June.” Hyunwoo answers Kihyun’s sarcastic look with a sheepish smile.

“What if we organized some kind of performance? The parents could invite people to watch it and we could sell tickets.” suggests Hyojung with a little shrug.

Minhyuk chews on the bottom of his pen, a conflicted expression on his pretty face. “It’s an idea, but I don’t think we should involve the kids. They already have their activities to focus on. It should be only us.”

Finally Jooheon decides to speak up. “Who would pay to see a bunch of twenty year olds wearing animal onesies?” he mutters, still playing with his plastic spoon. He feels a little guilty for killing the mood even more, but he highly doubts that busy adults would waste time and money for something like that, even if it’s for a good cause.

“Actually,” says Bora over the chorus of hopeless murmurs and dropped heads, “nobody said anything about animal onesies. Even better, under those onesies we have some fine specimens, don’t we?” She raises her coffee cup to salute Hoseok who, to his defence, has the the decency to blush a little.

 

That’s how the Sexy Safari Camp Calendar project was launched.  


It’s Monday, Jooheon still can’t believe everybody actually agreed to shoot a fucking _calendar_ to raise funds for the Camp. It’s embarassing even to think about.

Of course, given the nature of the place, the “sexy” is going to be extremely tame, mostly flaunting the staff’s natural (and frankly startling) beauty, but he still can’t wrap his head around the fact that not only Kihyun approved of the project, but also started fighting with Minhyuk and Hoseok about which month he’d appear on.

To settle the question, (“Hyung, you don’t even have abs, you can’t hog July to yourself!” “Shut up, I’ll draw them on!”) Hyungwon had to phone a photographer friend from his agency, who agreed to meet them at the Camp to sort things out and start organizing the shooting.

Jooheon was too shocked to put on a fight and in the end he only agreed on the condition that he’d be allowed to be covered up as much as possible, no sexy sailor concepts, no half naked Cupids for February, nothing he’d be ashamed to show his mother.

Even better, nothing that’d make him look like a complete idiot in front of Changkyun. Jooheon still cringes thinking about the kiddie chair incident, but this whole calendar project threatens to steal its throne as Most Embarassing Memory Ever.  


Oh shit, _Changkyun._ He doesn’t know anything about the calendar yet.  


Perhaps, if Jooheon is lucky, Changkyun will turn out to be the voice of reason that convinces the others to cut this project before it even starts.

_Yeah_ , he comforts himself while walking up the steps to the brightly colored door of the Camp. _Changkyun won’t stand for that._  


_-_  


“We’re doing a _what_ ” are the first words that come out of Changkyun’s mouth when Minhyuk informs him of the plan. They’re setting up the art lab and Changkyun was honestly so startled, he almost dropped a paint bucket straight on his foot.

“A sexy calendar!”  
  
“A sexy...what? Are you serious?”

Minhyuk just hums affirmatively, looking even more bubbly and cheerful than usual. Apparently. the perspective of shooting a sexy calendar put him in a very good mood.

_Good for him_ , thinks Changkyun bitterly, _he doesn’t have a reputation to defend._

And honestly, Minhyuk really doesn’t, but he’s so cute and bright that people end up forgetting his weird antics (and when they pull out receipts, well, Minhyuk definitely knows how to dropkick a guy).

“Hyung, you know that my brother will never accept this…” he tries to reason while Minhyuk cheerfully sorts out the watercolor boxes.

“Your brother approved and hogged July to himself, that greedy hamster. _I’m_ certainly not going to draw abs on him, that’s for sure…” mumbles the older boy.

Shit.  
  
Changkyun resorts to the last, desperate measure.

“Hyung, this is a place for children! A place for education, not a...a..a den of iniquity!”  
Well, that came out a little dramatic, but still.

At that, Minhyuk turns to him and gives him a thumbs up.

“Don’t worry Changkyunie, it’s going to be completely safe for work. We settled on some nice themes. It’s classy sexy, you know...well, we had to convince Hoseok not to wear that pink latex police uniform he likes so much, so _now_ it’s actually classy sexy.”

Changkyun stares, trying to push that information about pink latex police uniforms out of his mind.

“What do you mean, you settled on some nice themes? You all decided already?”

“No, not yet,” The older boy hums, admiring the way he gracefully made a rainbow out of watercolor blocks. “we’re trying to convince Kihyun to choose another month. There’s also you, of course.”

His eyes light up mischievously. Changkyun doesn’t like it.

“Actually, Changkyunie, why don’t you take July for yourself? I’m sure that whatever hides beneath _that_ ” -Minhyuk gestures vaguely to Changkyun’s oversized hoodie - “can’t be worse than Kihyun’s painted-on abs.”  
  
 _No shit._

Changkyun decides to follow another strategy. If the calendar thing can’t be avoided, he can at least try to make the experience less traumatizing.

There’s also a bright side, namely the fact that his crush (he’s starting to admit that yeah, he might have a crush...the size of Jupiter) will take part in the project too.

_Play it cool, Changkyun. Ask demurely. Don’t give out how much you want this information._

He continues staking the sketchbook blocks in order, acting casual.

“So, which months did you guys decide on?”

Minhyuk perks up at that, smiling like a kid on Christmas Day.

“I was thinking about a spring month, like April or May, I want to do a cute-sexy concept. Something that’ll make all the housewives swoon.”

_Wait, which housewives?_

The older boy doesn’t seem to notice Changkyun’s confusion and rambles on.  
  
“Hyunwoo hyung has to do a summer month, he’d look so cool as a sexy sailor! We agreed that Hyojung could do a couple shoot with him, to create a little scene, you know.

Hyungwon wants to do a winter month, he said he’s not taking off his clothes for free…”

Changkyun half listens to his hyung’s crazy plans, envisioning multiple horrors. He imagines his shot like one of those cheesy romance novels covers, standing in a windswept field, his shirt half unbuttoned, a swooning Jooheon in his arms...or maybe it could be one of those imperial love affairs, one with concubines and betrayals, and he immediately pictures Jooheon in a royal hanbok, still swooning in his arms…

...until he realizes Minhyuk has actually said the name he wanted to hear.

“Joohoney doesn’t want to take off his clothes either, but Hyungwon thought of something, he says his mother has some _kimono_ she bought in Japan, those could work, don’t you think?”

Changkyun blinks dazedly. “Uh. Um. Sure.”  
  
_My imagination is getting too powerful._

-

In the end, everybody settles on a theme for their respective single and group shots.

It’s almost 8 p.m. by the time they’re finished discussing it, since they had to carry on with the usual afternoon activities before that (even though Changkyun didn’t manage to focus _at all_ and ended up staring blankly at Jungkook’s homework for ten minutes straight) and by the time they’re done and out of the door, Changkyun feels like the protagonist of one of those survival contests you see on TV.

Especially because of a _thing_ that happened right in the middle of the meeting, a thing that took 10 years off his life and no, he’s not being dramatic about it.

Kihyun and Minhyuk were still arguing, but most of them had already chosen a theme and a month and honestly could care less if Kihyun wanted to look like a complete idiot with sharpie-made abs and just wanted to go home. Changkyun was sitting next to Jooheon, trying not to hyperventilate every time the other turned slightly towards him to exchange an opinion or a quick smile. He was so on edge he actually jumped when Jooheon’s phone buzzed right against his thigh.

Then, the other boy had fished it out of his pocket, opened the chat, and there it was, the _thing_. A black and white selca, taken in an unmade bed. The guy was shirtless, with wide shoulders, impressive biceps and a handsome, familiar face.

It was sent from _J-sunbaenim,_ but Changkyun remembered him as Buffy Buff, aka Yugyeom’s hot dad.

Apparently, _J-sunbaenim_ was worried about the state of his biceps, because beneath the photo he had added _“do my biceps look smaller to you :(“_ which was clearly meant to be flirtatious, because the guy looked good and he obviously knew it!

Jooheon had snapped the convo closed, but it was too late, Changkyun had definitely seen the picture and he hadn’t missed the way Jooheon’s ears were tinged red from embarrassment either.

Of course, as soon as Changkyun flops down on his bed, bone tired and even more depressed, he can’t help but replay the scene in his head in painstaking detail.

Why is Jackson sending Jooheon shirtless selcas?

  
Even worse, why does he have Jooheon’s number while Changkyun still doesn’t?

 

They are co-workers and all, while Jackson is only Yugyeom’s dad.

Unless he’s something _more,_ something that Changkyun doesn’t want to think about, even if it’d explain Jackson’s excessive friendliness and cheesy comments.

He hadn’t seen him often at the Camp after the first time they met (according to Hoseok, his schedule was a mess), but the few times he did, he always ended up driving Jooheon home and turning Changkyun into a jealous and confused mess.

 

_“And now my spine shivers from the notes that you speak_

_of perfect pitched melodies and emotions you seek_

_That I'm composing in dreams, so you see that I love you_

_And I'll hold your broken dreams till I'm bleeding in puddles”_

 

Well fuck, even his playlist is mocking him.

Changkyun turns off Sadistik’s voice, pouting into the pillow and trying to block out every thought of dimpled cheeks and dark eyes.

 

It doesn’t really work, it never does.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *old Rose voice* It's been...84 years...
> 
> as usual thank you for reading! also pls give a listen to my man [Sadistik](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pfiyF62konU), he kicks ass


	6. i like that

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which mutual embarrassment and painted abs take place, all in the span of two days.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ok the authors have super decadent tastes and we think Jooheon in geisha attire could probably heal the world and bless us all so forgive us (also if you haven't watched the MV for Sistar's "I Like That" you probably won't get the references and the bonus gay so pls check it out)

Jooheon is actually kinda amazed at the fact that not only has Hyungwon managed to book a top class troupe for their calendar project, but he somehow convinced them to work for _free_. Hyungwon swears the photographer lady did it out of goodwill, and also, that the whole troupe is employed at the same modeling agency Hyungwon works at, but none of his co-workers buy it. The poor lady is probably smitten.

 

The moment Hyungwon leaves the room after explaining their concept ( _“It has to be sexy but chastely so, just enough to make the housewives’ hearts flutter and make them want to give us their money”_ ), her soft attitude immediately drops, replaced by cold, appraising eyes. Everyone stands still, too nervous to move as she walks around them, heels clicking on the tile. “Let’s get to work, we don’t have time to waste! I’m working for free here!” she snaps out, making Jooheon yelp in fear.

 

The first to go is Hyunwoo with his summer-ish sailor theme. He stands awkwardly against the white background they assembled in the main room, blinking under the harsh lights. Thankfully for him, his naturally stoic demeanor is good starting material, and Ms. Kim (aka Evil Photographer Lady in Jooheon’s mind) only has to tell him to smile once or twice and turn this way or that. After he’s done, Hyojung joins him for the group shots, wearing a bikini top that shows off her tanned skin and a shimmery mermaid tail made of sequins.

 

Actually, in the beginning they weren’t sure if they should include the volunteer teachers in the project (Hyunwoo had muttered something about being chivalrous and not letting the girls expose themselves), but Bora reasoned that more people would buy the calendar if there were both boys and girls in it.

 

Next up are Kihyun and Minhyuk, both wearing unbuttoned hawaiian shirts and, in Kihyun’s case, painted on abs, smiling while holding beach balls. Minhyuk, reasons Jooheon, looks unfairly good and photogenic for someone who’s wearing ugly swimming trunks and a duck shaped inflatable lifebelt.

 

Ms. Kim is very quick and efficient, snapping shots with clinical precision. The only time they see her falter is when Hoseok shows up, shirtless under an oil stained apron and smiling brightly. Even one of the light technicians gapes at him in awe.

 

Shooting takes up all morning and the best part of the afternoon and when Ms. Kim wraps it up, everybody agrees to continue the next day. Jooheon whines about it being a Sunday, but nobody pays him any attention whatsoever, except for Changkyun, who shoots him an understanding glance and grimaces.

Actually, that reminds Jooheon that the younger boy was very vague when explaining his theme for the calendar, so he actually has no idea of what to expect.

 

He’d be lying if he said it’s what motivates him to show up on Sunday morning, wrapped up in his bomber jacket and slurping iced americano as if his life depends on it, which, admittedly, it kinda does.

 

What doesn’t motivate him at all is the thought that he’s about to dress up as a geisha for his shoot. A freaking _geisha_ . He’s not sure how or why he agreed to do it, but he blames it entirely on the fact that he wasn’t paying attention _at all_ . Hyungwon had mentioned something about his mother’s kimono collection and how it’d be an appropriate theme for someone who didn’t want to show much skin, so when Minhyuk called his name and suggested he do it, Jooheon had immediately agreed.   
It was only later, back in the safety of his home, that he remembered Hyungwon mentioning his _mother’s_ kimono, which probably meant Jooheon would have to cross dress. Not that he hasn’t done it before, but at least it had never gotten on print.

 

He thinks about it during the whole long, tiring make-up session he shares with Dasom, picturing a nice sitting room, a grandma checking a date on the calendar while baking cookies for her grandkids and bam! there he is, Jooheon in drag on the wall, next to a recipe for a killer roast duck and pharmacy receipts.

 

He almost pulls his hair out at the thought and receives a scolding from Ms. Kim’s assistant, who is busy curling his eyelashes with a very threatening looking object.

“Hold still!” she grits out, two metal plates pressing themselves dangerously close to his eyelid. Jooheon shrinks away, scrunching his eyes closed at the strange sensation. The makeup artist huffs in exasperation, ready to grab the unwilling model by his ruffled hair to force him to stay still.

 

Before, Jooheon can cower even further into the chair, Dasom calls over, the picture of perfect elegance as she relaxes during her own makeup session, “Why don’t you just leave it alone? You know, he looks pretty enough without any of that junk on his face.”

 

Jooheon’s own stuttered reply is blocked out by the makeup artist’s infuriated screech. “What do you mean “junk”? I’ll have you know, these are the highest quality products you can afford here. You should be honored we’re even wasting them on a bunch of amateurs like you!”

 

Dasom only blinks calmly and runs a well-manicured hand through pinned hair. “Well, if it’s such a waste then, why don’t you leave?” Gobsmacked the other woman stands there silent and gaping as Dasom pointedly picks at her nails. She explodes with a loud “FINE!” and immediately storms out, leaving behind a trail of fake eyelashes, powder, and blush.

 

 _We’re done for_ , Jooheon thinks with detached calm, flopping down against his chair.

 

“Noona,” he mutters weakly, “I don’t think that was a good idea…” and he drops his head into his hands, rubbing tiredly at his cheeks.

 

Dasom sighs, a quick breath cutting through the air, and she slips off of her raised makeup chair, bare feet and silk kimono delicately sliding against the cold floor as she pads over to the slouched boy.

 

Jooheon continues to look down, barely taking notice of painted toes entering his line of vision. He flinches when a hand lands gently on his shoulder, snapping up to see Dasom smiling gently down at him.

 

“Jooheonie, you seriously don’t need any makeup to look pretty. If you want to, though, I can put it on for you.”

 

Jooheon smiles back and nods, looking very relieved. “Yes, please”.

 

-

 

Changkyun is _late._

 

It’s Sunday morning, which means he forgot to set his alarm and slept peacefully until Kihyun called him, blasting his ringtone (Drake, of course) straight into his left eardrum. The right one was murdered by Kihyun’s shrill voice and threats of physical and psychological violence if he skipped his photo session.

 

So, when he finds himself running blindly up the stairs and through the corridor, panting like he just bust a lung, he doesn’t really notice the “Do not disturb! ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)” sign hastily pasted on the door and barges in.

 

He stumbles in with a loud _bang!_ but only a few idle set members turn to glare at him. The rest of them are intensely focused on the shoot taking place in the center of the room.

 

The camp’s theater room has been completely transformed from an empty stage into a surrealist dream, complete with floating lanterns and scantily clad figures.

 

The scantily clad figures being Dasom and Jooheon.

 

Somehow, in the few days they had to prepare, their limited crew managed to hang clouds of red lanterns from the theater scaffolding without sustaining any injuries. It’s completely worth it, Changkyun marvels, as the soft glow gathers into a spotlight that highlights every inch of the two models.

 

Their kimonos drape across the floor like sheets of ice, smooth and sheer against the lilac background. There’s rose petals scattered everywhere, and it’s apparent that they must’ve had action shots earlier that morning, with the cliche _sitting-here-in-a-shower-of-roses_ scene taking place. Kihyun’s morning nagging infiltrates his mind, an _i told you so!_ smugly taking form in his brother’s lisp. He grudgingly admits, that, yes, if he had actually gotten up earlier, he wouldn’t have missed the earlier part of this shot. Regret tugs on his heartstrings for a minute, that he’s lost every last chance to see Jooheon showered in roses, before he realizes that these pictures are going on a calendar. That he’ll receive the calendar for free as one it’s technical contributors.

 

 _Yes!_ he exclaims internally, applauding his own thought with a sense of satisfaction. Kihyun can go suck it!

 

Jooheon and Dasom are still posed, unmoving and tensed towards the many cameras. None of them are professional models, save for Hyungwon of course, but so far everyone has performed rather decently. The stamina it takes to last through flashing shots and clipped commands is taxing and rarely easily attained. The two kimono clad figures stay resolutely posed though, every hair and finger still held elegantly in place.

They are leaned towards one another, a picture of almost perfect symmetry on either side. Their interlaced hands meet in the center, Jooheon’s right and Dasom’s left, shoulders barely an inch away from contact as they stare heatedly back with dipped chins.

 

Their close shoulders are bare, the kimono sleeve sloping down to tease at a triangle of skin. It’s been too long since Changkyun’s indulged in watching any Korean dramas, but the scene before him is something straight out of an imperial wet dream. The looks the two are giving the camera isn’t of any help either - lids powdered with a rusty brown shadowed into something heated and unreadable, eyes almost liquid black as it mixes with the reflection of the lilac backlight.

 

Everything matches perfectly: Jooheon’s white kimono embroidered delicately with blue and purple to Dasom’s sewn with pink and red. Her collar falls a bit further to show off inked branches and unreadable Chinese characters flowing down her back. In return, Jooheon’s pale thigh slings out back, the v of the robes parting sharply to make way at the curve of his waist.

 

Changkyun stares mesmerized at the other’s leg, bare all the way down to the tips of his toes, bathed in the glow from the lanterns and the lilac backlight. It’s a scene from an ethereal dream - the colors mixing to shadow and highlight every crevice and curve with a dark brown that goes as deep as black in certain places. Like the strong indent of muscle in Jooheon’s upper thigh. Or the supple curve of his calf. Or the area where the kimono opens just a bit too wide, the crease of his hip -

 

He forcibly tears his roaming gaze away, terrified at the intrusiveness of it. If it had been some other world where Changkyun had somehow ended up with laser vision, there’s no doubt Jooheon’s thigh would have already been set on fire at how long and intense his stare most likely was.

 

The shoot seems to be ready to wrap up and move on as crew members nod appraisingly at the raw pictures, when an ominous creak suddenly comes from above the set. To their credit, the two models barely move, staying locked in their twisted positions. Dasom’s fingers clutch reassuringly at Jooheon’s as she watches him carefully out of the corner of her eye.

 

The younger boy scares easily; anyone who’s known him long enough have had the pleasure to experience his frightened shrieks firsthand, ranging from “attacking” butterflies to being left alone in a haunted house. While it’s both the most hilarious and precious thing Changkyun’s seen, now would definitely not be the appropriate time for a freakout.

 

Jooheon presses his lips together, stare growing even more heated as he tries to keep his focus on the camera. Changkyun notices his accelerated breathing, the panicked flicker of his eyes at the unknown sound above him. That’s when the older boy’s gaze falls on Changkyun, his painted mouth falling open in a “o” of surprise before pulling into a bright, breathtaking smile.

 

_Fuck, I’m in love._

 

The thought hits Changkyun like a bag of bricks in the face. His heart threatens to burst out of his chest, both from fear and something else, something warm and sweet that makes his eyes water and his lips curve up into a smile.

 

He’s still smiling wistfully when the next sequence of events happen within milliseconds of each other.

 

First, the camera starts to click as it starts another sequence of shots. Then, in the middle of the second click, with no announcement, the lanterns start dropping, only one at first, then another, and then quickly followed by the rest of them, loud thumps filling the room like booming drums as they crash to the floor.

 

Later on, they find out the last few pictures turned out absolutely incredible, having captured Jooheon’s genuine smile in the midst of what looks like lanterns floating midair. However, in the current moment, what is captured in everyone’s eyes is Jooheon frantically stumbling up through slippery rose petals and his own constrictive robes, as he clenches his eyes shut to the hail of paper lanterns around them.

 

“What is this! The hell-” he explodes collapsing onto the floor, once he escapes from the falling stage. All the quiet and demureness from before is gone, but he’s so flushed and animated in his anger, Changkyun inexplicably falls in love just a bit more.

 

Dasom’s follows him off the stage, albeit with more grace and less panic, and she approaches him with a long sleeve over her mouth, amusement apparent in her eyes as she holds back a snicker.

 

“Is my precious dongsaeng okay?” she teases. She’s still genuinely worried though, grip strong and steady as she helps pull the younger man to his shaking legs. Jooheon responds, almost with a whimper, automatically leaning against her side. “Of course not! Noona, we could have died!”

 

He gestures towards the paper lanterns, all deflated pathetically from their long drop to the ground. “Sure,” Dasom mutters, rolling her eyes even as she curls a manicured hand soothingly around the boy’s head, laying it gently across her shoulder.

 

Changkyun chooses this moment to intrude, rushing up to the pair to satisfy his own worry. Jooheon startles, completely caught off guard from Changkyun’s fast-approaching presence. He seems to suddenly gain awareness of his scantily, kimono-draped state and starts to grab at everything, trying to make himself as decently presentable as quickly as possible.

 

The younger rapper’s gaze falls on the tantalizing strip of skin (unfortunately) being covered up, his own hand twitching with an indescribable urge to reach over and just _touch._

 

“Hyung, are you ok?” He settles for standing close enough that he can see the glitter still stuck to the other’s lashes, the gloss still shining across his lips.

 

Dasom butts in before Jooheon can encourage Changkyun’s lovestruck worry with his exaggerated whining, lips pulling into a painted smile, as she interrupts with timed poise. “Don’t listen to him, Changkyun-ah. Those were paper lanterns, _we’re_ both fine, thank you.”

 

The youngest fumbles at his mistake, his tunnel vision having turned all his worry to the other rapper and not his actual elder. “Noona, I mean, uh, are you-” She cuts him off with a dismissive “of course of course”, a small smile perking across her face at how transparent the younger boy is.

 

Changkyun doesn’t take notice of his noona’s amusement, or Jooheon’s cheeks growing redder and redder. He’s too busy trying not to self combust while simultaneously trying to imprint the image of Jooheon dressed in a kimono and wearing pretty makeup permanently into his mind.

 

“Okay guys, let’s get ready for the next shot!” yells Ms. Kim from the other side of the room, startling Changkyun out of his daze and making Dasom roll her eyes in exasperation.

 

“Alright, Changkyun-ah, we need to change into something actually comfortable, so if you’ll excuse us...we’ll be going now”.

 

He nods rapidly, still nervous after his previous mistake and steps back to allow them to go.

 

Dasom hooks an arm around Jooheon’s kimono-clad waist, pulling him wordlessly along with her. Before they step out the door, Changkyun uses his last boost of courage to yell out a low, “Bye hyung, noona! Good work today!” and Jooheon’s previously ducked head snaps up, frantically turning back to wave enthusiastically at the other boy, color high on his cheeks as Changkyun returns his wave just as energetically.

 

_(It’s precious and innocent, the way these two interact like newborn foals, prancing around idiotically in their attraction for one another, and Dasom sighs fondly. Jooheon looks over at her, honest question in his eyes at her unexpected sigh. She shakes her head wordlessly, mouthing “it’s nothing” at him and pushing him gently into the changing room._

_Ah, young love! So sweet, yet so dumb at the same time)._

 

\------------------------------------------

 

They don’t get to see the finished product until a week before Christmas, just in time for their Christmas Fair. The whole staff, teachers and slaves (volunteers) alike, crowd around the boxes to get a glimpse of their freshly printed calendars.

 

Hyungwon and Momo star in January, smiling brightly under a snow-covered umbrella, elegant like a celebrity couple (Momo actually whistles _at her own photo,_ and then again when she sees the picture for February, where she holds hands with Seulgi). March features a grinning Hoseok, looking ethereal against a background of trees in bloom, his shirt coyly unbuttoned, and April follows with all the girls wearing white dresses and flower crowns. Then there’s May, where Kihyun and Bora pose dramatically, and then summer follows suit, featuring the infamous painted on abs.

 

September comes as a shock and everybody joins Momo’s wolf whistling, except for Changkyun (who hides his face in his hands from embarrassment) and Jooheon, who only lets out only a feeble squeak.

 

Posing casually with his arms carelessly stretched over his head, wearing high waisted dress pants and an open jacket that shows off tanned skin and _definitely-not-painted-on abs_ , is Changkyun.

 

“Damn Daniel,” hoots Bora in a decidedly unfeminine way “I didn’t know you had abs!”

 

Minhyuk and Hoseok take turns slapping Changkyun’s stomach, laughing cheerfully at their maknae’s embarrassment.”Yeah man, when did you get abs? Where were you even hiding them?”

 

Changkyun’s ears are the shade of tomatoes as he whines, “Hyuuuung, stop! I don’t even show as much skin as you two!”

 

 _And thank God for that_ , mumbles Jooheon to himself.

He’s already dissimulating a minor heart attack in a room full of people, which includes his hopeless crush (who just happens to look incredibly hot in that picture, Jooheon might have to frame it), he doesn’t need any more material to fuel his fantasies.

 

Actually, the month Jooheon dreads the most is October, aka the lantern shot.

He still remembers getting scared out of his mind by the falling lanterns, how hot his cheeks had burned when he realized Changkyun had _seen_ him half-dressed in geisha robes, and Dasom sighing fondly and smiling to herself for some reason as she had dragged him away from the shooting set.

 

Now that he has to look at the finished picture, Jooheon feels his cheeks burn again.

It’s a beautiful shot, soft and ethereal, but sexy at the same time. Dasom looks like the star of some historical drama, and even Jooheon has to admit, he looks kinda pretty too.

 

“Beautiful…”

 

He shyly turns towards Changkyun sitting next to him, dark eyes wide and alert as he scans the photo.

 

“Do you think so?”

 

“Yeah, yo- I mean, it’s beautiful. The, uh, concept, and...noona and hyung look good too...” he trails off lamely. It’s a small thing, much more subdued than Momo’s whooping and Minhyuk’s enthusiastic praise, but it makes Jooheon’s heart skip a beat.

 

_Okay Jooheon, breathe. Be natural._

 

In the past weeks he had tried to loosen up around Changkyun, to treat him like the others (well, maybe not like Minhyuk, because boy, does he get _touchy_ ).

 

What better way to show off his bro-ness than giving him a playful pat on the back or a fist bump from time to time? That kind of contact is safe and platonic, and if it sets the butterflies in Jooheon’s stomach fluttering uncontrollably, well, it’s not like Changkyun has to know.

 

His heart is currently dancing some sort of wild tip-tap up his throat, but his hand is steady as he bumps Changkyun’s shoulder.

 

“Thanks bro, I was afraid I’d look like a weirdo, but if you say it looks good, I’ll believe it!”

Hoseok ruffles his hair affectionately and Jooheon’s dimpled smile gets even brighter, especially when Changkyun answers with a tiny smile of his own.

  
He has a good feeling about this calendar project after all.


	7. Tip your cups, to the late night writing binge

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kihyun is a sneaky brother, Changkyun is emo and there is a Christmas Market™

The document lays open on Changkyun’s desktop, row after row of angsty rhymes flowing on the screen, his tired eyes scanning them for what is like the tenth time in half an hour.

 

He probably shouldn’t have stayed up so late the day before Christmas Fair at the Camp, but when inspiration struck (as it did often lately, at least since he met a certain cute rapper) he didn’t resist and started typing away, trying to put his repressed feelings into words.

 

The result is tragically honest and more than a little angsty and Changkyun immediately decides he’s not going to let anybody see the document _ever,_ especially not his muse.

 

It’s a pity, because it’s probably the best rap he’s ever written, but if Jooheon ever sees it Changkyun will actually have to emigrate to the god-forsaken land that is America.

 

The thought of his crush (no, _the guy he’s fallen in love with_ , he corrects himself with a shiver) reading through his lyrics, the raw feeling in them painfully obvious, is enough to send a flash of panic through his sleep deprived mind.

 

Too bad he forgets to close the document two hours later when he falls asleep in a blanket burrito while listening to _Back_ on loop.

 

He doesn’t hear Kihyun slip into his room to check what he’s doing up at three in the morning listening to Infinite on repeat, and he definitely doesn’t see him peek at the screen to close the YouTube tab.

He _most definitely_ doesn’t notice his brother reading through the doc, giggling madly and snapping a picture with his phone.

 

When he _does_ notice, he’s munching his morning rice and blinking sleepily at his phone screen, mentally cursing himself for staying up until three and falling asleep on his desk. The Camp’s Kakao group chat (to which he was recently added, much to his joy) is bursting with notifications and he idly wonders what the fuck happened in those five hours to make the chat explode.

 

That’s when he finds it, a screenshot of the lyrics he wrote the night before, posted by none other than his snickering, pink-haired brother, who even had the guts to write “OMG look what my emo brother was writing last night” under the picture.

 

“WHAT THE FUCK” bellows Changkyun, whipping around to glare at Kihyun, who’s still demurely sipping his coffee, as if he wasn’t wearing striped flannel pajamas.

“Why did you post it? Just, why??”

His brother just shrugs nonchalantly (Changkyun is seriously tempted to throw a spoon at his pink head). “You’re hopeless, Changkyun. I was trying to help you out, maybe _someone_ in the chat will put two and two together and you’ll stop pining!”

 

This time Changkyun doesn’t resist the temptation and he flings his spoon at Kihyun before storming out of the room. He doesn’t check whether he hit him or not, and he sure as hell doesn’t check his notifications now that he knows exactly what lurks in that chat.

 

The worst part is, Kihyun is _right._

 

Changkyun knows he’s hopeless, he’s barely admitted his feelings to himself, let alone to the object of said feelings. It’s not merely a matter of “ruining their friendship” (though it definitely plays a huge part) or having to quit his part time job. The main issue is that Changkyun is scared.

 

He’s never had a serious relationship before, too distant, too focused on getting good grades and winning scholarships, on pleasing his parents. He had a small circle of friends, he rapped in his free time, and that was enough. He liked people well enough, and he’s always been perfectly aware he’s not straight (he even had a flirt or two while in Boston, meaningless and more than a little awkward), but nobody had really caught his eye as much as Jooheon did as soon as he met him that day at the Camp.

 

The thought of admitting he’s in love with him (he can hear a corner of his mind scream _“JKLDKJJHFKJLKSDKJDJDH”_ at this) and the possibility of being shot down are even scarier than thinking about losing his new family.

 

It’s much, much easier to pretend he just likes the older rapper as a friend.

 

He can brush it all off as a joke, deflect all questions and later get revenge by changing Kihyun’s ringtone with a Shakira song.

 

-

Yeouido Park is packed with people, sellers with their brightly decorated stands animatedly calling in customers, tourists and families creating a colorful, excited stream. It would scream “Christmas Fair” even without them having to wear ridiculous headbands, but Kihyun insisted, especially when he had noticed that the old lady selling quilts next to them had hired a professional dancing Santa.

 

“Changkyunnie, can you please bring those boxes here?” Hoseok calls for him, looking tall and dashing in his winter coat, even though he’s wearing a super ugly Santa hat that spells “Santa Baby” in bright LEDs.

 

The stand is mostly ready, it looks kinda shabby compared to the ones surrounding it but Changkyun rather likes it, with its cheap Christmas lights (the very same he bought with Jooheon the first time they met) and all their kids’ drawings displayed around for the public to see. The sight that warms his heart the most is the one of his coworkers and friends, with their tacky headbands and Christmas hats, even though they’ve been sending him awkward glances the whole morning. Changkyun suspects it has to do with the picture his brother took of his lyrics and the thought only aggravates him more. Jooheon, in particular, has been avoiding his gaze, quickly looking away every time he caught Changkyun’s eye.

 

Changkyun would’ve throttled Kihyun if he had the chance. At least, he thinks while setting down the boxes with a little more force than necessary, he hopes the spoon he threw at him earlier left a mark.

 

-

 

_Oh god._

That’s the only thought that has been running through Jooheon’s head since he opened KakaoTalk early that morning (or very late that night, it depends on how unhealthy your sleeping habits are), when the notification sound woke him up and almost gave him a heart attack, and he saw the picture Kihyun had shared on the Camp chat.

 

It was a snapshot of a computer screen, lines of text following one another and physically hurting his tired eyes. He was tempted not to open it, but he had caught the cheeky eye emoji and the words “my brother” and he’d immediately snapped to attention as if he’d been injected caffeine.

 

 _Dancing on my ribcage kicking patterns to the beat_ _  
_ _Beat beat beating on my chest_ _  
_ _When I'm sleeping like a baby and you're stealing all my breaths_ _  
_ _Kiss me twice I'll do the rest_ _  
_ _As the city lights dimming right on cue again_ _  
_ _Such a pretty sight is it why you've haunted my skin_ _  
_ _Yes diamond cutter eyes like a shutter blind_ _  
_ _Fly like butterflies by my stomach_  
 _Hi I'm another guy to fall in love with_

 

By the time he had reached the end his hands were shaking so bad he had physically dropped his phone. He vaguely remembers reading the others’ comments, Minhyuk’s excited “so is our kkukkungie in love?? >//<” and Hyungwon’s annoyed “you woke me up for this???”, but at the time they didn’t really register in his mind. He’d been too focused on the lyrics (because they _were_ lyrics, lyrics to a rap Changkyun was writing, _oh my god_ ) and their possible meaning.

 

That night he’d spent hours tossing and turning, occasionally opening up the picture again to reread them.

 

Needless to say, the next day he looks like death incarnate, at least to his own eyes, and the damned lyrics are still stuck in his head, as if somebody had tattooed them on his eyelids.

It looked like a love song.

Angsty, but still a love song, and Jooheon would give his left arm to know who’s it for, because nobody writes lyrics like those without a muse in mind.

 

He can’t help but think about it as he watches Changkyun unload the calendar boxes from his car, bowing awkwardly to the sour-looking old lady from the stand next to theirs. He looks a little down, moody, definitely pissed at Kihyun (Jooheon had noticed a bump on his hyung’s forehead and when he had tried to ask him about it, he got a mumbled “spoon” as an answer) and quite a bit lost in his own world.

Jooheon studies his face, his sharp profile, the furrowing of his brows, until the other boy looks up and dark, piercing eyes bore into his. He turns away immediately, almost dropping the ladder he was holding for Hyunwoo in the process.

 

_Lee Jooheon, are you blushing like a schoolgirl? Stop right this second and get a grip!_

 

“Jooheonie? Are you alright?” comes Hyunwoo’s gentle voice. Apparently, he doesn’t know he’s been two seconds away from kissing the pavement, or he wouldn’t sound this concerned. Possibly. It’s Hyunwoo after all, the guy is _soft_.

 

“Yeah, hyung, I’m...fine…yeah. Are you done with the lights?”

 

He brushes his hair away from his eyes (when did it get so long?) and tries to appear nonchalant. It seems to be working, at least on Hyunwoo.

 

Minhyuk isn’t so easily fooled, as Jooheon notices when he finds his hyung staring at him with a fond little smile on his face. Minhyuk looks suspicious. Minhyuk looks like he _knows_.  His suspicions are confirmed when the older boy slings a friendly arm around Jooheon’s shoulders and leans in confidentially to whisper in his ear.

 

“So, Jooheonie, what do you think about our Changkyunnie’s lyrics?”

 

_Oh, drat._

 

“I guess they’re good, I...huh...I didn’t pay much attention to them, honestly. I was half-asleep, you see.” _It’s not like I memorized them or anything._

 

Minhyuk flashes him a knowing look, the kind that says “I know those lyrics are probably engraved in your retinae right now”.

 

“But those are _love_ lyrics, right? Do you think he wrote them for someone?”

 

Jooheon feels his cheeks heat up and he’s aware Minhyuk can probably feel it too, the little cheeky shit. He has no chance but to continue with the only possible course of action: lying, blatantly lying through his teeth.

 

“Maybe, or maybe he just felt like writing random stuff! It’s not like it’s any of our business anyway!”

 

Ok, that came out a bit sharper than intended. And just a little bitter, enough that Minhyuk’s smile slips away, replaced by a look of concern. He doesn’t say anything though, he only smoothes Jooheon’s curly bangs away from his face and squeezes his shoulder through his heavy bomber jacket.

 

They spend a few moments like this, curled up together behind the stall, their box of merchandise temporarily forgotten, until Hyungwon pops in with his head to announce that the first clients have started to show up. Minhyuk offers him his hand in silent apology and Jooheon takes it gratefully, still feeling down but a bit more ready to plaster on a smile and deal with whatever the day has in store, Changkyun and his possible-very probable- love lyrics included.

 

-

 

As evening rolls in, Changkyun can definitely say he’s not cut out to be a salesman. Also, the whole day has been awkward as hell.

First, there was the fact that everyone seemed to know about his damned lyrics, and possibly that _someone_ was his muse. He kept receiving weird looks from his hyungs and noonas alike, and there was a time Minhyuk almost gave him a heart attack, staring at Changkyun as if he was trying to see through him, complete with bulging eyes.

Bora had even _winked_ at him and said something about “little wolf pups growing up”, which made him feel both terribly flustered and oddly proud, because Bora was _cool._

 

The arrival of the Camp kids with their parents had provided a nice distraction, even though they all had to dissuade Junmyeon from buying a copy of the calendar for each member of his family and from actually paying for one of Chanyeol’s many fox drawings. Unfortunately, nobody had apparently felt like stopping Jackson from buying two copies of the calendar (“One is gonna be set on October the whole year round” he had said with an exaggerated wink that had made Hyojung burst into her usual witch laughter and Jooheon hide his face in his hands), or from dropping his schedule entirely and staying to help at the stand. He certainly proved to be a better salesman than Changkyun, or anybody else really, shouting cheerfully for everybody to hear and flexing for the grandmas. Even the sour-looking old lady from the stand next to theirs stopped by and bought a calendar, and by six in the afternoon the whole boxes are empty and all the calendars sold out.

 

Hoseok and Hyungwon buy hot chocolate for everybody to celebrate their success, and Changkyun offers to bring Hyojung and Jooheon their cups, since the two are busy taking off the children’s drawings from the stand’s billowing plastic walls.

Also, the older rapper’s ears are tinged red, which means they’re either about to fall off from the cold or Hyojung noona is bullying him as usual, so of course Changkyun slides closer to the pair to eavesdrop, right on the other side of the stall, hidden from sight.

 

He’s not proud of it, not at all, but he’s afraid Hyojung has figured something out about the lyrics (not that it’d take a nuclear genius to do so) and he wants to be there when Jooheon inevitably freaks out and decides to never talk to Changkyun again.

That’s why he startles when he finds out that the topic of the conversation isn’t him or his blasted lyrics, but something much, much worse.

The thin plastic wall and the surrounding noises do nothing to muffle the voices of the people inside so they ring clear, Hyojung’s teasing tone and Jooheon’s nervous one.

 

“Jooheonie, since when has this.... _thing_ with Jackson-ssi  been going on?”

 

“Noonaaaa, there’s no _thing!_ He’s just...he...”

 

“...yeah, I think I know what _he_ wants to do, honey. You’re not as naive as you look, either.”

 

There’s the unmistakable sound of spluttering, and Jooheon’s answer comes out in a croak.

 

“Noona!!!”

 

“What’s wrong?” Changkyun can practically hear the smile in the music teacher’s voice. “Besides, it’s been too long since you actually went out with someone. You and Gunhee broke up, what, almost a year ago?”

 

_Wait, Gunhee? The guy Changkyun came to substitute?_

_Wait._

_WHAT?_

 

Hyojung goes on, blissfully unaware of Changkyun’s mental breakdown.

 

“Jooheonie, you’re too young and far too pretty to be moping around by yourself, and Jackson-ssi is too good of a catch to let him go like that. He’s been flirting with you as hard as I’ve ever seen anybody flirt and he looks at you as if he wants to eat you up, you must have noticed!”

 

 _How could one not notice?_ mutters Changkyun to himself, still half in shock but too curious to walk away. He’s sure Jooheon is about the colour of ripe tomatoes by now and this single fact sends a sting of pain straight to his heart.

 

“Of course I noticed, I’m not a kid! It’s just that I don’t know what to do about it!”

 

“Well, it’s not that complicated, really. Do you like him?”

 

At this point Changkyun’s ear is pretty much plastered to the fabric of the stand, the two cups of hot chocolate completely forgotten and rapidly turning to ice frappuccino in his hands.

 

_Please say no, please say no...._

 

Jooheon lets out a weary sigh. “Yes? I mean, he’s a great guy an- what was _that_?”

  
_That_ was actually two plastic cups full of lukewarm chocolate hitting the ground, followed by the sound of somebody running away as fast as he can.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  
> 
> *user Kurookano voice* i'm...sorry...


	8. we could be together (if you wanted to)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nightclubs may be good for dancing, but it's a different story for matters concerning the heart.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> chogiwa  
> -sincerely the authors

Changkyun has never been more thankful for Christmas, not even when he was a little kid who actually received _presents_ , instead of a young adult with a very demanding older brother and ever absent parents. Still, after the terrible mess that was their Christmas market, he’s thankful to have an excuse to be away from the Camp and, most importantly, away from Jooheon’s visible confusion and hurt at the way the younger boy had started to avoid him.

 

The week passed in a flurry of Christmas themed activities and minor incidents (Changkyun may or may not have put a picture of Shakira on top of their improvised Christmas tree just to annoy Kihyun), and if Jooheon’s questioning and sad gaze ever met his, Changkyun was quick to turn away and pretend he didn’t see it. It wasn’t his intention to hurt the other, but he couldn’t pretend everything was the same as it was before he overheard Jooheon’s conversation with Hyojung. He’s certainly never been the type that deludes himself into thinking he has a possibility when reality clearly says otherwise. Thankfully, everybody at the Camp was so busy that there was no time physically to worry about their maknae’s relationship problems.

 

Christmas at home is unremarkable, the highlight of the evening being Hoseok’s drunk selca with his grandmother and a very cute picture of Jooheon and his younger brother right before attending Christmas service at church, which sent Changkyun in a fit of soju-infused depression and nearly caused him to delete KakaoTalk from his phone.

 

Going back to university and work is equally sad and unremarkable. His classmates and coworkers alike seem to have noticed there’s something troubling him, but aside from a few gentle questions from Hyunwoo and Hoseok, Changkyun’s emo ass is left alone to brood. He still tries to minimize every contact with Jooheon, which isn’t an easy feat since they share most of their shifts, and tries to keep up a polite but distant front, as if even catching a glimpse of Jooheon’s face doesn’t make his heart clench in pain. The older rapper doesn’t seem to know how to behave around Changkyun anymore, watching him with eyes full of guiltless hurt, offering him a shy, insecure smile from time to time that makes Changkyun’s chest ache.

He wants to tell him, but he can’t.

 

_It’s not you, it’s the fact that i could never be good enough for you._

 

His brooding mood lasts for a good two weeks, until he finds himself cornered by Hyungwon right after closing time, when he’s headed to his car, kicking away snow unhappily with the tip of his boot. Kihyun is mercifully absent, and Changkyun is already savoring the ride home and blasting Drake’s angstiest songs at full volume.

 

That’s when he sees Hyungwon approaching, tall and elegant in his slim-cut winter coat.

 

“Changkyun-ah, can I talk to you?”

 

Changkyun nods, a bit surprised. “Sure. Let me start the car though, the heating system takes forever to turn on.”

 

They both sit in silence for a while, listening to the car’s heating system wheeze itself to life. After a bit, it’s Hyungwon that breaks the silence, the lazy drawl of his voice completely at odds with the sharpness of his eyes.

 

“Changkyun, what’s going on with you lately?”

_Ooooh shit, here it comes._

 

“It’s-”

“And don’t say _it’s nothing,_ ” the older boy immediately cuts him off. “You’ve been avoiding Jooheon like the plague since before Christmas break, and yesterday I caught him crying in the supply closet, so something must have happened with you two.”

 

 _He caught him crying?_ Ok, now Changkyun _really_ feels like shit.

 

Changkyun lets out a weary sigh.

“I’m sorry about all of this, it’s just that...I don’t know how to explain, I can’t even explain, hyung. I’m sorry.” He rubs at his eyes and fights back the tears, praying Hyungwon hasn’t noticed. But, of course he has, and the cold expression on the older boy’s pretty face melts a little.

 

“Look, I’m not going to force you to tell me anything if you don’t want to, but Jooheon is one of my best friends, and I hate to see him like this. If what happened is his fault, then confront him and solve this issue. If it isn’t, man up and apologize to him, because taking out your frustration on everybody is a shit way to deal with things.”

Hyungwon opens the door and gets out, stopping to glance one last time at a gaping Changkyun.

 

“Please think about it. Good night!”

And with that, he waves and walks away, leaving Changkyun alone and utterly shocked.

 

His hyung’s tirade served his purpose, because the next time he sees Jooheon, two days later, Changkyun offers him a shy smile and his favourite brand of Iced Americano, which the other boy accepts with badly restrained gratitude and relief.

That day, Changkyun decides that having Jooheon’s friendship is better than having nothing at all, and if he has to deal with unrequited feelings, he’s glad to do so as long as the other boy keeps on smiling.

 

-

One morning, Minhyuk comes barging in exuding even more energy than usual and yelling, “Guys! _Guys!_ Guess who’s managed to put all our names on the hottest list...for the hottest event...at the hottest club?”

 

All he receives stagnant silence, until Hoseok questioningly comments, “Hot?” It immediately sets Minhyuk off again, flailing as he tries to contain his excitement. “Yes! Haven’t any of you heard of Luhan, famous Chinese DJ, playing hit tracks like “Wolf” and “Lu”? Well, his newly established club is having its first opening tonight, and thanks to me,” he puffs up proudly, “we’re all getting in!”

 

Personally, Changkyun absolutely _despises_ those songs. There’s more than a few times when he’s woken up in a cold sweat to the echo of “chogiwa” ringing through his brain.

  
“Oh my God, you’ve put us on the list? For Lu’s opening night? Who did you have to bribe?” asks Momo, on her way to get a snack from the vending machine. She sounds impressed, and Minhyuk’s ego flares even more at the praise.

  
“Nobody, I just happen to know a certain somebody who recently got employed as a bouncer at this new club...and he happened to owe me a favor...you know how it goes!”

  
_No I don’t!_ panics Changkyun internally, but Hoseok and Momo are both nodding sagely, and he doesn’t want to look like an inexperienced brat in front of them. Minhyuk sounds like he’s involved in shady business though, and he’d _really_ rather not go into whatever weird club Minhyuk had to sell crack cocaine for them to get into if he wants to keep his life intact.

 

Of course, the laws of the universe must be written specifically against him, because a voice beside him chirps, “Sounds fun! I’ll definitely go with you Minhyuk hyung!” and he looks over to see a certain dimpled cutie smiling shyly, as if waiting for him to agree as well.

 

Changkyun really doesn’t want to drag his old self to a fancy nightclub, but Jooheon keeps on staring so hopefully - lips pouting, eyes drooping, and _fuck_ Changkyun’s going to regret this, but he mumbles, “Yeah, I mean, I guess I can go too, if all of you are going...” Everyone else slowly voices their affirmative, some more enthusiastic than others (“Hoseok, please try and keep your outfit PG tonight, it’s not a strip club!”). All of them, Kihyun’s slaves and the volunteer teachers alike, agree to meet outside the club on Saturday at midnight, and in a rare flash of empathy, Kihyun even suggests that he might help Changkyun choose an outfit for the night because, honestly, Changkyun would be the type to pop up at the fanciest club in town dressed in a stained hoodie, and everybody knows Minhyuk would throw a fit if their #squad image was not, as the kids say, on point.

 

When he shows up that Saturday night, Changkyun has managed to somehow avoid wearing the same obscenely low-cut jacket his brother is wearing, (“ _You look like a douche hyung! At least put on a shirt underneath!_ ”) and his hair is not as gelled up as he feared it might be, but he still feels uncomfortable, wearing fitted pants and fancy shoes that he definitely has not touched in over a year. Unlike Kihyun, he’s decided to keep at least a modicum of decency, and is wearing a shirt underneath his jacket, buttoned up to the top, thank you very much. Apparently Kihyun had some kind of coordinated agreement with Hyungwon, because the lanky guy shows up wearing the same kind of low cut jacket and suit pants combo under his winter coat, though Changkyun has to admit, the result looks slightly different. Being tall definitely has its perks.

 

He can’t tell exactly what everybody else is wearing, but the girls’ dresses definitely don’t reach their knees and, speaking of legs, Jooheon’s (magnificent) thighs are apparently wrapped in tight, black, ripped jeans that leave so much skin exposed, Changkyun starts to feel slightly faint. Once they get inside and everybody sheds their coats, Changkyun starts to feel more than slightly faint and even a bit embarrassed, because he’s definitely the most covered of the group, which clashes spectacularly against Hyunwoo’s bare arms, Minhyuk’s coyly ripped sweater and Hoseok’s stripper top, complete with bondage gear stretching over his bare back. The girls are stunning as well, Hyojung and Momo in little black numbers that show off their toned legs and Seulgi and Bora sparkly in short silver dresses.

 

But worst of all is Jooheon, who’s wearing a ripped black shirt with fishnet placed in the most inopportune places, and it happens to be loose enough that when he stretches up to hook away his coat, it reveals just enough skin to make Changkyun’s heart palpitate uncontrollably, as if a hummingbird was trapped against his ribcage.

  
And those jeans, _sweet baby jesus_ , that show off just the barest hint of Calvin Kleins underneath...Changkyun might actually pass out before he even gets near the dancefloor. Jooheon looks so different like this, without his trademark hoodies and sweats, his eyes lined black and incredibly sharp in the dim light of the hall. It’s like a completely different side of him, totally unlike his usual cute and goofy self, and Changkyun finds him incredibly alluring. Hoseok probably mistakes his flushed face for being stifled by too many layers and moves over to unbutton his shirt before Changkyun can stop him. “You’re so covered up Changkyun-ah! Show a bit of skin while you’re young!”

 

“A motto that you really take to heart, huh?” whispers Seulgi teasingly, on her way up to get stamped. Hoseok only winks in reply, the flirt that he is, and Changkyun quickly slaps his wandering hands away, absolutely scandalized. He’s about to fix his hard earned work when he feels a set of eyes on him, and he immediately snaps his head up, scanning 360 degrees around him to see who could be watching.

 

Just as he’s about to give up and blame it on jumpy senses, his eyes latch onto another sleekly lined pair, dark and hooded as they scan down his figure.

 

It’s Jooheon.

 

Oh my god, is Jooheon checking him out?!

 

 _Okay, okay, breathe,_ he tells himself, before he starts squealing like a twelve year old girl who saw a cute puppy on the street. For once in his life, he might actually have a chance with someone who would normally be completely out of his league, so he quickly drops his jacket button, and tucks his hands into his pockets, turning his head to look suavely away from Jooheon to try and show off the exposed line of his neck.

 

He holds this position for a while longer, smirking as he thinks of how cool he must look right now. When he doesn’t think he can hold himself here for any longer, he  turns his head around slightly to check out of the side of his eye to see if Jooheon is still watching him.

 

And, he’s not, because some guy in the tightest leather jacket he’s ever seen (and that’s saying something because he’s seen Hoseok in leather pieces that are definitely two sizes too small for him) has a muscled arm raised casually against the wall as he leans down next to Jooheon.

 

Oh fuck, Buffy Buff again. Why is he here??

 

He’ll grudgingly admit, the guy looks _good_ : artfully mussed hair, rough cheekbones, affectionate smile - carefully combined to give off the appearance of having just rolled out of bed. Damn.  
  
Jooheon, of course, seems to be into him as well, flashing a wide smile, complete with his trademark dimples, before walking off to the bar with him in tow. Everybody follows them into the room in a haze of smoke and violet lights. It looks surprisingly nice, Changkyun notices when he manages to rip his eyes off of Jooheon and the other guy, with sleek, modern lines and a wide dancefloor. Seulgi and Momo are already dancing, glasses in their hands, and the boys soon follow them. Only Jooheon and Jackson stay behind to chat, so Changkyun chooses to linger awkwardly by the bar, totally not to eavesdropping on their conversation, like at all.

 

He hears Jooheon exclaim, “I didn’t expect to find you here! Did Minhyuk invite you too?” which makes the other man smirk in a stupidly attractive fashion before he says  something indiscriminate that Changkyun doesn’t manage to pick up. He rolls his eyes, pretending to read the cocktail list. _What a douche_ , Changkyun thinks bitterly. The worst part is, he _knows_ Jackson isn’t a douche. The older man is fun, caring and sweet, even if he’s totally shameless, and it kicks Changkyun’s self esteem even lower because seriously, if Jackson were a douche, at least it would be much, much easier to dislike him for taking away the guy he’s in love with.

  
Jooheon laughs sweetly and hits the guy on the shoulder, saying something about him being the most popular guy in Korea. At this point Changkyun’s eyes are probably burning holes in the menu and the bartender starts to eye him suspiciously.

 

“Kid, do you want a cocktail or not? Also, are you even old enough to drink?”  
That has Changkyun snapping to attention because _seriously_ , does he look that young? He flashes the barman his ID, but the man still doesn’t look too convinced.  
Jooheon and the other guy are coming over, ready to order and Changkyun actually panics for a good minute.

  
“So, what can I get you?” urges the barman impatiently.  
  
“I don’t know, something fruity? I guess?” _Shit shit shit, they’re coming closer._ __  
  
The barman thrusts a glass full of peach colored alcohol into his hand and to Changkyun’s dismay, it has a sparkly straw, a fucking fruit composition on top and a little pink umbrella.

  
So much for looking cool and manly.

 

Just as he’s about to find a place where he can sip his drink in quiet shame, a cry of “Changkyunnie!” (how weird and relieving it is to hear, after spending weeks avoiding the older boy like the plague) redirects his attention away from his dark, inner contemplation to Jooheon smiling brightly as he plops down onto the seat next him, followed by Jackson.

 

“Changkyun-ah, do you remember Jackson? Yugyeom’s dad?”

 

_You mean J-sunbaenim? The guy that sends you shirtless selcas? They guy that’s been after you for weeks? The guy that I have no chance against? Yep. Sure I do._

 

“Yeah” he grits out, trying not to grimace too much.

 

Jackson sips his drink, (free of any fruit extravaganza and completely devoid of pink umbrellas, Changkyun notices sulkily) and stares him down over the rim of the glass.

 

“You’re cuter than I remember.”

 

What? Changkyun isn’t prepared for this turn in conversation. He was expecting Jackson to act like a douche, not to smile at him like he invented Christmas and compliment him.

 

He stutters out “Oh, um, thanks?” and almost chokes on a branch of cranberry as he tries to take a sip of his drink.

 

“Jooheonie here is still the cutest, though” continues Jackson with a sunny smile, before leaning down to whisper in Jooheon’s hear.

 

“Tonight you’re looking so _good,_ Jooheonie... _”_

 

This time, Changkyun really chokes on his drink, spilling Malibu and a couple of sliced strawberries onto his jacket.

 

Jooheon hurries to fetch him some napkins, while Jackson just flashes him a wolfish grin and picks up a slice of lime to chew on.

 

“He looks even more gorgeous than usual, don’t you think?”

 

Changkyun looks up from his ruined jacket (he’s going to smell like coconut for the entire night) and blinks. _What am I supposed to say? Deny it? Admit it and defend my territory?_

 

He settles on a disinterested shrug. “I guess.”

 

Of course, Jackson doesn’t fall for it. “Come on, wolf boy, I know you like him. You’ve been making heart eyes at him for a solid fifteen minutes.”

 

“Wha- _what_?” Changkyun splutters.

 

Jackson’s smile gets even brighter. “It’s fine, I like him too. To be honest, I was kinda hoping to take him home tonight, if he’s up to it.”

 

_Okay, what the actual fuck now._

 

Perhaps Jackson can see the scowl hiding beneath Changkyun’s perfect resting bitch face, because he laughs good heartedly and gently punches his shoulder.

 

“Hey, don’t worry about it too much. Since you look like a lovestruck pup, I’m going to give you a fair chance.”

 

Changkyun is definitely confused now and he’s starting to think he’s being made fun of.

 

“What do you mean, a chance?”

 

“I mean exactly that, a chance to show your cards.” The older man downs his drink in one go and makes to stand up. “If you like him, go and get him. You deserve a chance. If it doesn’t work, though, I’ll feel free to try myself. Good luck!”

 

He smiles brightly and disappears into the crowd, leaving behind an extremely confused Changkyun.

 

First, apparently the whole flirt between Jooheon and Buffy Buff still isn’t defined at all, if Jackson is giving him a chance to seduce Jooheon. The thought actually lifts a huge weight off his shoulders: nothing is lost yet. He can still do it. Which leads to the second and most urgent problem: what on earth do you do when you have only one chance of seducing someone?

 

He has to think quickly. Jooheon still hasn’t returned from his napkin mission, so maybe he has time to ask somebody for advice. Yes, but who?

 

He scans the room and spots Hyungwon half-asleep on a plush couch, surrounded on both sides by beautiful blonde women who look like foreign models. Not too far away, Hoseok is dancing on a table like nobody’s looking (but people are definitely looking and a couple of girls are even throwing cash at him), so Changkyun makes up his mind and sprints towards him. Who better than Hoseok can give advice on seduction techniques?

 

“Hyung! Hyung!” he snaps his fingers to get his attention. Hoseok turns around and waves enthusiastically at him from his spot on the table. “Changkyun-ah, come up here! This song is a bop!”

 

“Uuuh, thanks, but I’m fine here. Can I talk to you for a second? I need advice.”

 

At that, Hoseok steps down from the table (much to the displeasure of his spectators) and wraps a bare arm around Changkyun’s shoulders, his expression kind but serious.

 

“What kind of advice?”

 

The younger boy fidgets, feeling his ears redden. “Um, what do you do when you want to...you know...seduce somebody? In a cool way - I’m not going to twerk.”

 

Hoseok chuckles, a rumbling sound that echoes through Changkyun. Wrapped in the presence of the hottest person in the club, Changkyun starts to feel a bit more confident.

 

“Okay, first of all, keep eye contact. You’ll show them you’re sure of yourself. Invite them to dance, then wrap an arm around their waist and move together, pull them closer and-”

 

“OKAY I GET IT, thank you hyung!” Changkyun cuts him off before his advice turns into a reenactment of _Titanic_.

 

Hoseok laughs again and gives him a double thumbs up. “Go get him, tiger!”

 

If Changkyun were less distracted he would’ve noticed his hyung’s slip, or the knowing look in his eyes, but as he’s too busy trying not to shit his pants, he just waves him off and hurries to his table, just in time to see Jooheon come back, looking like he went through an alien abduction.

 

“I got the napkins, sorry I took so long, Minhyuk is drunk and he was giving a random guy a lap dance, it was a mess...wait, where did Jackson go?”

 

Changkyun shrugs dismissively. “He had stuff to do, I guess.”

  
_Now it’s my chance._

 

Before Jooheon can reply, Changkyun pushes his fruity disaster of a drink away and stands up, doing his best to look the other straight in his beautiful, lined eyes.

 

“Hyung, shall we dance?”

 

Jooheon nods, looking a bit taken aback but not displeased, and his trademark dimpled smile doesn’t look any less cute despite his much sexier outfit and makeup.

 

_Get him, tiger._

_-_

They push their way to the dancefloor, the younger resolutely leading the way with a boldness Jooheon’s never seen before. After weeks of avoiding his gaze, not to mention any kind of conversation whatsoever, Jooheon is more than a little shocked at this sudden turn of events.

 

Somehow they’ve come to link hands, Changkyun’s grip against his sleeve and his own fingers brushing loosely around the other boy’s suit jacket.

 

Changkyun pulls tightly, a locked circle around his wrist, and Jooheon stumbles at the force, buffering himself against the younger boy’s back. His chin bumps into the back of Changkyun’s head, and he shivers at the faint scent of chocolate clinging warmly to the other’s skin.

 

When Changkyun turns back, dark gaze unreadable in the flashing lights, Jooheon stutters, searching for something not-creepy to say. “You, you smell really good, like, um, chocolate?”

 

 _Smooth, Jooheon! Real smooth!_ he chides mentally, quickly wincing out a follow-up apology, “Sorry, if that’s weird…”

 

The club’s light’s are too erratic to tell whether or not the shadow across Changkyun’s cheeks is blush or simply just a passing clubgoer’s silhouette. It disappears in a moment though, replaced again by the strangely determined look from before, and he suddenly draws close.

 

Jooheon almost wants to scream at the distance, if not for the way Changkyun is still gripping his wrist, their gazes locking together. The music blazes around them, some electronic track with a twisting beat, but the two of them stand motionless, awkwardly contrasting with the writhing mass of bodies around them.

 

Their slight height difference forces Jooheon to look down, gaze wandering nervously over every possible detail: the sharp curve of Changkyun’s eyes, the sloping v of his unbuttoned shirt, and the handsome draw of his brows - all of it setting his heart pounding as he inadvertently bites at his lips.

 

His pulse elevates even more when the aforementioned sharp eyes immediately track the action, directly latching their piercing gaze onto the bottom half of his face.  
It lasts only for a second, where Changkyun is fiercely focused, almost glaring, at his lips, before it simmers back into something less intense, but still heady and dark.

 

“Hyung, let’s dance.” he whispers, tone leaving no room for argument as he tugs Jooheon to him, Hoseok’s advice echoing in the pounding beat, telling him to pull the other boy in, to hold him close enough where no one else can touch him.

 

Jooheon yelps in surprise when an arm loops around his waist, his body moving on its own, like an internal magnet that pulls him right up against Changkyun’s chest.

It’s like a complete 180: the shy, adorable boy from before suddenly grinding with the flexibility of a professional dancer, expression smoky and confident as he looks up at Jooheon with a cocked smirk.

 

He tries to breathe deeply, calming his racing thoughts to force himself to meet the other’s unspoken challenge. It’s unsteady at first, certain moves missing the beat, both of them more than a bit awkward with each other after weeks of dodging around their respective feelings, the tension palpable in the sweat-stained air.

 

However, before long, the crazed heat of the club takes over, all restraints loosening until they’re dancing with no inhibitions, the only thing between them now being palpable _want._

 

Somehow, Jooheon’s got his arms laced around Changkyun’s neck and both of Changkyun’s hands gripping his waist, their thighs tangling with each grind of the beat. The friction between tight cotton and rough jeans is the hottest thing either of them have felt, every inch of contact bringing them closer and closer to the edge. It’s completely in sync the way they move now, arching fluidly towards each other with every sway of the beat.

 

Changkyun comes so close, Jooheon swears if he had pressed forward just one more centimeter his mouth would have touched the other’s glistening neck. His stomach pulls at the thought of burying himself against the other’s skin, and at the same time Changkyun’s grip tightens, clenching roughly around Jooheon’s waist.

 

“Ah!” A low moan accidentally escapes parted lips, and Changkyun impulsively grabs even harder at soft flesh, simultaneously tugging and grinding, until they’re chest to chest, forehead to forehead, and lips to parted lips.

 

There’s no way anyone could misread the situation; it’s perfectly clear in the way Jooheon leans into him, softly panting as he stares with hooded eyes. With the bare amount of space left between them, he draws ever closer, intent obvious when lined lids slowly flutter shut and pink lips draw into pouted preparation; a kiss imminently looming between them.

 

Changkyun does the exact opposite: freezing, all sense of rhythm lost as he pulls away.

 

Jooheon’s arms slip easily from his neck, too shocked to even try and hold on as he tries to comprehend Changkyun’s sudden retreat. The other boy fumbles his way out from between their entangled bodies, eyes darting away from Jooheon’s wide gaze, looking this way and that for an out route. When he finds an opening, he mumbles a hasty excuse about “going to the bathroom and catching up later” and basically sprints his way out of there.

 

He keeps walking and doesn’t look back.

\-----------------------

When the wolf boy emerges hastily from the crowd without Jooheon in tow, Jackson takes that as a signal for his turn to begin.

 

He jumps to his feet, excitement buzzing lowly in his bones as he retraces Changkyun’s messy route through the massive dance floor. Sure, there’s an undercurrent of confusion over the boy’s strange retreat and his torn expression, but Jackson _did_ give him a chance. If he just wasted it, then who’s to blame? Obviously, not him, the one who played on fair terms.

 

Surprisingly, Jooheon meets him halfway, knocking into him with a hard _oomf_ as he attempts to rush by with a ducked head. Jackson stops him by his shoulders, hands settling steadily as he tries to crane his neck downward to look Jooheon in the eye. His gaze is resolutely avoided when the younger man only continues to stare downward, shaking his bangs loosely over his eyes.

 

“Jooheonie? Hey, come on look at me, okay?” he stresses worriedly, gently shaking the other by his shoulders. Jackson’s heart lightens when Jooheon finally looks up, but his expression is the last thing he would have ever expected. His usually upturned eyes are shining with unshed tears, and he’s clenching his lips so tightly shut Jackson can see them trembling at the effort.

 

“Ah, sunbaenim, I-” Jooheon’s voice shakes, and he breaks off mid-sentence to swipe roughly at his eyes, sniffling quietly into his soon-to-be-ruined shirt sleeve. Jackson pulls Jooheon to his side immediately, curling an arm firmly around his shoulder as he pushes their way out from between the throbbing mass of bodies.

 

“Enough with that sunbaenim shit okay? Let’s get you some fresh air for now.” Jooheon stays silent against his side, fear that any attempt to speak will end up with him bawling openly for hours on end. Jackson doesn’t force it, taking the other’s silence as a yes and continuing on with his crusade to find them a way out of the club.

 

They finally make it, both of them shrinking at the cold as they slip past the shuttering club doors and the stone-faced bouncers. Jooheon shakes out of his grip to lean against the building wall, digging the heel of his palms into reddened eyes as he takes in breath after shuddering breath.

 

Jackson takes in the other’s curled form, quietly contemplative for a few seconds, before he rushes back inside and then instantly out, both of their winter coats in hand.

 

When thick fabric drapes itself around his mesh-clad shoulders, Jooheon removes his palms in surprise, hiccuping wetly at the sudden warmth. Jackson shoulders on his own leather coat before roughly tugging the crying man to his side, slipping an arm steadily around his hunched shoulders again.

 

They stay silent like that for a few moments, Jackson pointedly looking at the night sky as Jooheon quietly pretends to not cry. His hard-fought effort completely fails as hunched shoulders heave softly every few seconds, and the arm around them starts to rub rhythmically up and down, up and down, in an attempt to reassure the weeping man.

 

After Jooheon’s sobs seemed to have finally subsided, quieting into occasional sniffles, Jackson finally dares to look over. His eyes are met with smudged black liner and swollen lips, permanently set in a curved pout and still shining with pink gloss.

 

He catches himself before he can act on the heated impulse to press his own lips to the other’s inviting pout, and clears his throat instead. Jooheon jumps, holding his coat protectively around himself with crossed arms and looks over with a wide-set glance.

 

“Do you have any way to get home?” Jackson asks lowly, still covering the younger man’s side with his own body, unconsciously pressing closer in worry. The overwhelming heat somehow makes Jooheon shiver harder than he ever did in the coldest winter.

 

Still, Jackson’s gaze is strong and direct, unwavering as it pulls magnetically into his own, and it’s the inside of club all over again - dark gazes meeting and bodies slipping around one another. Some part of Jooheon panics feverishly at the perfect deja vú of it all, and he deliriously expects the warmth against his side to be gone in a second, to be left with only a receding back and cold lips for the second time that night.

 

In the few moments where he waits for the inevitable end, Jackson only blinks rapidly, confused at the other’s dazed silence. Jooheon’s gaze meets his own, but there’s something glazed over in his eyes, irises dulling as they seem to stare past him.

 

“Hey,” Jackson rashly reaches over, barely touching as he brushes his thumb over a cold cheek. Jooheon twitches minutely, but his gaze shifts, the brown in his eyes lightening under the flicker lamplight, as if truly noticing Jackson for the first time.

 

They’re still rimmed with red and smudged in black, but there’s something appraising in them, judging and evaluating him under the cold moonlight. He doesn’t quite understand the subtle change, but by the way Jooheon loosens in his hold and presses to his side, he’s definitely the victor tonight.

 

Jackson opens his mouth to ask again - _do you need a ride home?_ \- sitting on the tip of his tongue, but he barely manages out “Do-?” before he’s grabbed, leather cutting into his neck as-

 

As Jooheon kisses him, knuckles curling against skin, their lips meeting and teeth clicking.

 

Jackson is so caught off guard he stops breathing, eyes bulging and mouth frozen as he takes in the dream-come-to-life before him. The other man’s eyes have fluttered shut, lashes trembling and shining with leftover tears as he pulls Jackson to him. In the older man’s stunned mind, out of everything and anything he could possibly think of right now, he manages to faintly register the idea of dew in the morning sun - yellow shining through clear drops like millions of tiny light bulbs flickering on grass wires.

 

This time it’s tears on hundreds of curled black lashes, barely visible under off-white streetlights, but the effect is just the same (if not better) from where Jackson is standing.

 

The hands twisted in his jacket collar cling desperately, alerting him to his own lack of reciprocity. Jooheon’s brows have begun to furrow, his lips starting to lift away from Jackson’s own lax ones in hesitant doubt.

 

The older man snaps out of his dreamy state just in time to surge forward, swallowing the short cry of surprise as he winds a searing palm into messy locks. He curls his other arm even closer around Jooheon, soothing comfort transformed into unrestrained want instead.

 

Jackson’s presence quickly overpowers all his senses as he crushes Jooheon into his embrace. With the other man’s tongue parting his lips and his chest pressing down on his arms, Jooheon can barely make out anything but _Jackson._ He clenches already closed eyes and embraces the pressure, surging into the kiss as he tries to drive Changkyun out of his mind.

 

Eventually, they both run out of breath and part with a gasp, chests heaving and mouths slack. Jackson’s eyes are hooded, intentions clear and flickering through blown irises. Jooheon can’t look away, heart beating and head spinning with a confused mix of emotions.

 

It’s too much: the gut-wrenching rejection from before sharply intermingling with the simmering heat of want in Jackson’s gaze now. It’s tearing his mind apart, and he desperately needs a way out.

 

“I’ll take a ride home - if it’s to your place,” Jooheon blurts out, blanking as he tries to pick an option. The older man’s eyes widen for a fraction of a second before they blink back into the dark gaze from before.

 

He strokes a thumb smoothly over swollen lips, pressing down in barely disguised awe at the soft feeling. Jooheon shivers, but he doesn’t move away, only staring with begging eyes as the request hangs in the air.

 

Jackson can’t help but wait a few moments more, Jooheon in his grasp, his mouth under his hand - it’s absolutely unreal. When the only thing that disappears is the light from a pulsing street lamp, he manages to convince himself of the reality of the situation.

 

“Are you sure?” He has to ask, just one more time to hear it straight from the lips pressed under his thumb.

 

They part minutely, almost in a stretched smile as they utter-

 

“Yes.”

  
One more kiss and a fumbled jangle of keys later, the once-heated spot under the burnt out street lamp is empty and cold.


	9. I love to wake up next to you

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Late night regrets and unspoken early morning bittersweetness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey y'all sorry we meant for an update to come out last week, but i'm a shit writer sometimes and school decided to ram me so...BUT IT'S HERE NOW!
> 
> also please picture this for a specific scene - you'll know :) [x](https://happycakestories.tumblr.com/post/159128196893/forljh-honey-steez-do-not-edit)

Changkyun grips the sink with both hands, palms shivering and sweating.

 

What the fuck happened?

 

It was going so well, all hesitations lost as Jooheon followed him to the dance floor and basically melted against him, their dance turning into something  _ way _ more heated than he ever expected.

 

It happened in a moment: Jooheon’s eyes slipped closed and Changkyun knew he was supposed to kiss him then. Every instinct told him to close the distance between them, press his lips against the other’s, lick into his mouth as he had wanted to do since he saw Jooheon for the first time.

 

Instead, he had panicked, just like a frightened teenager. 

 

Changkyun can’t stop thinking about the moment he made the mistake of glancing back, the disappointed, crumpling expression on Jooheon’s face, his eyes glistening wetly under the violet strobe lights. Changkyun had turned away before he could do something stupid like run back and try to kiss away the other’s approaching tears.

 

Now, his reflection in the mirror glances back at him with blatant disgust, his eyes aflame in a pale face. He was offered the chance to seize what he’s been pining for for months now, and he fled like a coward. 

 

_ “Stupid, stupid, stupid!”  _ he growls, his frustration mounting until his fist hits the wall and explodes with pain.

 

“Fuck!”

 

“Woaah dude, take it easy!” comes a slightly slurred voice from one of the stalls. 

Leaning against the door is Hoseok, his perfectly styled hair in complete disarray.

It’s obvious he’s had quite a lot to drink, but his gaze turns sharp as it takes in Changkyun’s pained expression and his scraped hand.

 

“Changkyun-ah, what happened? You and Jooheonie looked pretty cozy when I left for the toilet…”

 

“Hyung, I...we...!” Changkyun gulps, panic and shame rising and filling his chest. “I think he - he wanted me to kiss him, but I panicked and...oh god, I left him there, alone!”

 

“Oh, Changkyun-ah, I’m so sorry!” 

 

Hoseok stumbles forward and slings a muscled arm around his shoulders, and Changkyun automatically leans into him. 

 

“Do you want to go out and find him? If you explain it to him, I’m sure he’ll understand.”

 

He sounds surprisingly coherent for a drunk and his words are only a little slurred, but Changkyun still shakes his head no.

 

“I fucked up, how can I face him now? I had one chance and I messed it up, I’m a coward, I don’t deserve a second one!” He’s flat out panicking now and he’d slam his fist against the wall again if Hoseok didn’t have an iron grip around him.

 

“What do you mean, only one chance? There’s no set number of chances, Changkyun. Jooheon is smart and sensitive, if you explain how you feel he-”

 

“No, you don’t understand!” the younger boy interrupts hurriedly, suddenly remembering his deal with Jackson. “I only had one chance, and then Jackson will...oh shit!”

 

He runs out of the bathroom, followed by a stumbling and confused Hoseok. “Changkyun-ah, wait!”

 

Changkyun barely hears him over the deafening music and the blood rushing in his ears, his eyes busy scanning the crowd for a single, familiar face. He spots Bora dancing with Hyunwoo and Seulgi, and apparently Hyungwon has finally fallen asleep on the plush couch where the two beautiful Russian models are still cooing over him, unaware of his unconscious state. 

 

Jooheon is not at the spot where he left him, or anywhere at all. To make things even worse, the beat suddenly changes and a familiar intro plays.

 

_ “ _ _ CHOGIWAAAA danbeone neukkyeo…” _

 

_ Fuck, not this song!  _ curses the part of Changkyun that’s still able to focus on the club’s debatable taste in music. Even the DJ is taunting him at this point, adding salt to his wounds.

 

He finally spots Kihyun sitting at the bar, a weirdly fluorescent cocktail in front of him and humming along to the music. “Hyung!” he calls out, then harder when his brother doesn’t seem to have noticed him. “HYUNG!” 

 

Finally, Kihyun turns to face him, but his eyes are slightly unfocused and Changkyun can tell the sudden motion made his head spin. 

 

“Changkyun-ah…” he slurs, before taking another sip of his drink, “what’s wro- OH my GOD I love this part! _Geobuhalsu eobsi gangnyeolhan I neukkime ppajyeobeoryeo nareul_ _nwasseOOOooooOO_!!!”

 

Kihyun almost knocks his glass down as he throws both his hands in the air, and Changkyun decides he’s not getting any valuable info out of his intoxicated brother,  and he leaves him behind to sing in a perfectly pitched - if slightly slurred- falsetto.

 

By now Changkyun is panicking: the club isn’t even that big, but he can’t manage to find Jooheon anywhere. What he  _ does _ get is a glimpse of Minhyuk, who apparently hasn’t learnt his lesson at all and is still giving free lap dances. He decides to try looking for Jooheon outside, but his hope is rapidly draining away as he stands shivering in the chilly air, dark eyes still scanning the crowd, until they land on a familiar face. 

 

Momo is standing with her back against the wall and talking animatedly in Japanese to a pretty girl who’s twirling a lit cigarette between her fingers. At least they both look sober enough to entertain a normal conversation, so Changkyun rushes over and bows hurriedly to the two girls. “Noona, have you seen Jooheon?”

 

Momo shakes her head and turns to her friend. “Mina-chan, have you seen a very pretty boy with a ripped black sweater and curly bangs?” 

 

_ Well, she’s describing half the clubgoers _ , reflects Changkyun with a tinge of panic.

 

In any case, Mina doesn’t seem to understand Korean too well, because Momo repeats the question in Japanese, adding details and waving her hands around. Changkyun looks away, and he’s still searching for a glimpse of pale, round cheeks and a pouty mouth when Momo elbows him.

 

“Mina-chan says she saw him come out of the club with a very hot guy wearing a leather jacket! She says he looked pretty distressed, like he was crying.”

 

_ That’s the second time people tell you you’ve made him cry, what are you going to do? Keep hurting him because you can’t face your feelings? _

 

At this point, Changkyun doesn’t think it’s even possible for Jooheon (or anybody else really) to hate him as much as he hates himself. He feels like a child again, angry at himself, lonely and powerless.

 

Only, this time he wasn’t powerless. He had a chance and he threw it away, and now somebody else is collecting the prize.

 

“Changkyun-ah?” Momo’s soft, worried voice pierces through his thoughts. “Are you alright? Did something happen between you and oppa?”

 

_ No, it didn’t, that’s the problem. _

 

“I-I can’t find him, I...did your friend see where he went?”

 

There’s more mumbling, and this time it’s Momo’s friend who speaks up.

 

“Your friend was here with that handsome guy, they were talking and...I think your friend...wait-” She cuts off to check with Momo, and when she turns towards Changkyun again, she looks very flustered. “Um, your friend kissed the other guy, and they got into a car. They went away.”

 

Momo looks almost as shocked as Changkyun feels, which incidentally doesn’t make him feel any better. “Oh my God, Jooheon-oppa really did that? That’s strange, I thought he...nevermind.” There’s worry in her big eyes, mixed with something that looks very much like pity, and Changkyun’s heart starts breaking as he finally grasps the meaning of Mina’s words.

 

_ They kissed. They drove away in Jackson’s car. It’s done. _

 

_ I’m done. _

 

He doesn’t hear anything else. He sees Momo’s mouth open and form words, but he can’t hear them, and he doesn’t care about Mina’s confused expression, or the fact that he feels like a million stares are upon him.

 

He turns and goes back to the club, every step, every motion mechanical, his head full of fog. There’s only one thing that rings clear and doubtless in his mind.

 

_ I’ve lost him. _

 

Thankfully Kihyun doesn’t notice when Changkyun sits down next to him. In fact he doesn’t seem to have noticed he left in the first place. He stares his little brother down with glassy eyes (there’s another glass full of that fluorescent drink in front of him now).

 

“You look like shit. Here, take my drink. HEY! Bartender-nim! Make me another one, will you? And” - he burps- “and this time I want a little umbrella! One for my little bro here too! You want a little umbrella, right?” He’s so unfocused that he’s not even looking at Changkyun, but at the burly guy sitting next to him. It’s fine though, Changkyun isn’t listening to a word either.  He downs the sugary sweet drink in one gulp and tries not to choke as Kihyun pats him enthusiastically on the back.

 

“Look at little Daniel go! Bartender-nim, another one!  _ Blow it like a flute, ooh ooh!” _

 

His brother is completely shitfaced and Changkyun actually  _ feels _ like shit. 

 

In an odd way, they match.

 

He chokes, eyes clenching and throat stinging from the biting alcohol. There’s a familiar wetness poking at his lids, and he resolutely keeps them shut. A sob escapes his throat, dry and painful, and Kihyun sympathetically pats him on the back, mistaking it for a drunken hiccup.

 

“Be careful with these - _ hic _ \- they’re pretty strong! EVERYWHERE I - _ hic _ \- GO THEY YELLING  _ LUUU _ !”

 

Any other time Changkyun would’ve thought it hilarious, how wrecked his brother is, but this time he can barely sense him at all. 

 

But at any other time, his heart wouldn’t have been broken.

 

Wet hiccups start to bounce against the curved glass, and tears soak into the cheap paper of the umbrella. The deafening roar of  _ Lu _ drowns out the unrecognizable sounds that continue to tear themselves out from his throat, and for once he approves of the DJ’s shit taste in music. 

 

The party rages on: the clubgoers dancing, his brother crooning along, and his tears flowing like a flood. 

 

\----------------------------

 

Jackson barely gets a hand on his door before he’s slammed back onto the wood with a surprising amount of force. Swollen lips re-fasten themselves onto his for the nth time of the night, and he has to use every ounce of strength not to give in to a heated makeout session in his public doorway. 

 

Somehow he manages to fumble the door open, slipping away from a slick mouth to hastily pull both of them inside. Their intrusion echoes noisily in the darkness of the empty apartment, and Jackson sends a silent prayer to Seokjin - bless his squeaky laugh and big heart for taking in Yugyeom for an impromptu sleepover with Jungkook. 

 

It would have been the epitome of heaven and hell to have Jooheon willingly spread on his bed, only then for his son to immediately walk in, wide eyed and innocent, eager to tell his dad goodnight. 

 

_ God,  _ he shudders at the possibility of that even remotely happening, and he sends another unspoken  _ thank you _ to Seokjin. Just for good cause. 

 

In his moment of deliberation, Jooheon’s on him again, arms looping and lips pushing until Jackson lands with a hard  _ oomf  _ against the living room wall. This time, the older man finally presses back, stomach twisting in pleasure at the way plush lips fall open eagerly under his own. 

 

He swallows every sound that passes between them, the synesthesiac taste of Jooheon’s moans sweeter than the cold rush of ice cream in the summer, of hot cocoa in the winter. 

 

(It’s complete heaven)

 

Their kisses move fast, wandering hands desperate for heated contact. Jackson groans as rounded fingers sear under his shirt, dipping against the bare muscle tensed there. He drops his own hands down to the skittish touches, intending to help quicken the process, but when he grips around cocked wrists-

 

Jooheon is shaking. 

 

“Jooheon…” he whispers tensely, gently prying trembling fingers from his bare stomach. “Heonie,” he pauses again, trying to calm the conflicting feelings erupting in his stomach. “We don’t have to do this if you don’t want to…” 

 

The younger man’s head is sagging, his body growing limp even as his hands clench emptily in Jackson’s hold, grasping for some kind of floating buoy to anchor him down in the wild sea of emotions. 

 

“No way,” Jooheon protests, raising his face and grinning cheerily. This up-close, Jackson can see the translucent flicker of his eyelids and the forced enthusiasm etched into the tensed lines of his cheeks, his smile, and the branching wrinkles of  

of his eyes. 

 

“I want this.” He asks, pushing for it again, but under the reflection of the moon’s bone-white beam, Jackson’s own hesitant face stares unwillingly back at him. 

 

For once, the charismatic older man is lost words, heart pounding at the twisting well of black shining in Jooheon’s eyes. “I-”

 

His grip is abruptly broken, when the other man rips away shaking wrists, clenching them back into his own huddled embrace. “What,” he spits out, trying to keep his voice steady as kiss-bitten lips pull into a self-deprecating grin, “You don’t want me either?”   

 

Jackson’s gaze immediately darkens, shadowed and angry, and he reaches out with heavy hands, molding them down over Jooheon’s shaking form. He pulls the other’s stiff body against his own, holding tight and slipping the both of them down to the floor, until he’s sat against the wall, and Jooheon is curled tightly within his grasp. 

 

The younger is so wound up, Jackson swears he can feel the vibrating rhythm of coiled up springs underneath soft skin and muscle. He doesn’t let go, only pulling closer until Jooheon gives, releasing every pent up emotion of the night into the curved space of his jacket and bared throat. 

 

He doesn’t know how long it lasts, growing numb and cold as the moon glares down at them with one single, bright eye. Even in his state mild discomfort, nothing compels him to move - wave after wave of uneven hiccups choking out against his skin melding him to the spot. 

 

Eventually, when Jooheon trails off into silence, Jackson cups a hand to the back of his neck, scratching soothingly at the base of his scalp. The younger man relaxes at the touch, and Jackson takes it as permission to speak. 

 

“I  _ do _ , you know? I’ve wanted you for a long time now.” 

 

Jooheon twitches minutely, sniffling as he readjusts his blotched face against the other’s shoulder. “Then, why…?” 

 

“Heonie…” Jackson sighs, breathing out his own disappointment and want in a cold flurry, “We both know you don’t actually want this.” He laughs, quieter, whispering and almost unheard, “Or me for that matter…” 

 

Jooheon considers staying silent - he can’t lie, it’s true, after all. “You should find someone else, sunbaenim - I - I’m not worth it.”

 

Jackson snorts into floppy bangs, partly at the unnecessary honorific, but mostly at how false the second statement is. “There  _ is _ no one else on earth like you,” he grins, nuzzling into the younger man’s hair, sighing at the soothing herbal scent, “but, I guess, for your sake, I’ll do my best to move on.” 

 

“Can I stay with you tonight?” Jooheon ventures an ask after Jackson’s bittersweet promise. “I know I have no right to ask, but...I don’t think I can be alone tonight. Just stay with me? Please?” 

 

The hand at his scalp spreads open, pushing his head forward to press against a set of lips. “Yeah, of course,” the hand relaxes, allowing him to pull back and look up, meeting Jackson’s open grin. “How would you ever expect me to say no to you?” 

 

Jooheon smiles back, albeit a bit watery, and replies, “Sorry, sunbaenim - last time I’ll use it against you, I promise.” Jackson rolls his eyes, standing with creaking joints and pulling the other man up with him, both of them setting steadily on bare feet. 

 

“And I told you…” he mutters exasperatedly, leading Jooheon into his bedroom and turning away to let the other change, “enough of that sunbaenim shit. Jackson or even Wang is fine!” 

 

Jooheon collapses onto the rumpled bed, cheek puffing against soft pillows as he faces towards the older man’s leather-clad back with droopy eyes and bare legs. “Thank you - Jackson. I mean it.” 

 

“Mmhm,” the elder hums lowly, his heart jumping at the gentle tone that’s being directed at him - and at  _ only _ him. He coughs awkwardly, ducking his hands into tight pockets as he determinedly faces forward: even in this context, Jooheon cozy and vulnerable in  _ his _ bed would still be too much for him to handle. He points a thumb casually toward the door, quickly motioning and murmuring, “I’m - I’ll - just go now, yeah? Good night, Jooheonie.” 

 

He’s quickly stopped by a whispered protest, and this time, he can’t stop himself from automatically turning around. “Stay with me? It’s your bed after all…” 

 

Jooheon’s managed to snuggle himself underneath his bed covers, but just the sight of midnight-dark strands tangled on rumpled pillows is enough to send his gut into straining compulsions. 

 

“I trust you. Just sleep next to me, okay?” Jackson tries and fails to speak, his mouth opening and closing uselessly at the pleading look he receives, the inky color of the other’s eyes clear and piercing - illuminated brightly by the white moonlight. 

 

Inevitably, he ends up bare-legged and brief-clad, curled up warmly around Jooheon’s slowly settling form. His heart slows to the same rhythm, sleep pulling his lids shut as their breaths beat to the same cadence - as steady as the ticking of a metronome. 

 

\----------------------------

 

Waking up after a night of partying is always hard, but especially so today, as this morning the weather seems to be out to curse him. Instead of being gray and cloudy, the sun blares like an air horn through open shutters and eggshell white clouds. Jackson groans, mouth smacking dryly,  and he coughs at the acrid taste bubbling up through his throat. He would do anything to get up, close the blinds, shower, and then scrub his mouth clean, but…

 

Jooheon’s currently passed out and pouting adorably in sleep on his arm. His hair is even more messed up than it was before, but the little brown strands standing up make him look like a kitten, triangle ears perking out against creased pillows. His brows are finally smoothed out from last night’s stress and sadness, and Jackson just can’t bring himself to ruin the peaceful image before him. 

 

The sunlight suddenly seems much more fitting as it hits upon tangled hair - diffracting one shade of brown into millions more, even leading to certain hints of black and perhaps blonde. 

 

_ Shit, _ he’s definitely in love. 

 

He chooses this moment to shake himself out of it, slipping out from under Jooheon’s cheek and escaping to the kitchen - bare feet padding to the stove as he rushes to deal with barraging thoughts by frantically making pancakes.

 

Just as he feels like he’s come to terms with his apparent hopelessness in love (making a stack of 10 pancakes in that process) soft shifting by the doorway makes him reevaluate everything for the nth time in that 12 hour time period. 

 

Jooheon shuffles in on bare feet, toes clenching at the cold ground, legs pale and exposed in the cold winter air. Logically, Jackson knows he’s wearing boxers, but the cardigan he’s pulled on drapes  _ way _ past that level, hitting mid-thigh as he curls his fingers delicately over the knit sleeves, turning them into oversized sweater paws.  

 

“Sorry-” he clears his throat roughly, before sheepishly glancing towards the ground. “I saw your cardigan draped nearby, and I was cold, so…” 

 

Jackson immediately shakes his head, closing his eyes and savoring the image of Jooheon in his clothing being forever imprinted into his retinas as he turns back to the pancakes. “Please - just keep it. It suits you more than it does me anyway.” 

 

He holds up a plate of pancakes, misshapen, but drizzled in syrup and swivels around with a tight smile. “Anyway, pancakes for your morning sound good?” 

 

Jooheon’s expression softens, the highlights of his eyes melting into shadows as they crinkle in gratitude. “Sure,” he whispers, pulling at an errant lock and genuinely grinning, “sounds perfect to me.” 

 

They both eat in silence, chewing slowly as the events of last night sink in to the background of clinking plates and enthusiastic bird song. There’s something left unspoken in the air, but neither of them truly feel the need to address it. Somehow it’s understood - bittersweet, of course 

 

(the burnt bite of dry pancake sliding down Jackson’s throat, the sour syrup clinging to Jooheon’s own) 

 

but understood. 

 

When they finish, Jackson snickers at the sticky mess on the younger’s face, and Jooheon pouts at the empty teasing. He gets a wet napkin and is sent back to the bedroom to change as Jackson washes the dishes. 

 

They finish their morning together with Jackson still bare-chested and bare-legged as he sees Jooheon out, who is now clad in last night’s jeans and his newly gifted cardigan. 

 

Jooheon toes on loose boots, tapping them compulsively against the doorstep as he bows shortly to the other man. Jackson snorts, reaching out to messily ruffle the younger’s hair as an unspoken goodbye. 

 

“I’ll see you sometime?” He asks casually, voice light and steady, even as his insides twist with the unspoken connotations behind each word. 

 

“...Sure.” Jooheon waves, a halo of sunlight behind him, but slivers of pain still apparent and embedded within brown irises. “Bring Yugyeomie around to Camp anytime.” 

 

“Alright, bye Jooheonie.” 

 

“See you, sunbaenim.” 

 

\----------------------------

 

Yugyeom comes back late Sunday morning hyped up on homemade pastries and One Piece, only to find his dad passed out in rumpled bedding. For once, they both sleep in until 2 pm together. 


	10. this is a lovely place

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> sometimes , you have to brave enough to sort through your own messes.  
> other times, you just need a friend like minhyuk.

 

_Is it physically possible to melt into your bed sheets? To become one with your bed and never have to face the world ever again?_

 

That’s honestly the only thing going through Changkyun’s mind as he turns off the alarm he had forgotten to un-set the day before.

 

Despite everything, physically speaking he’s not faring too bad.

 

His head is pulsing painfully and there are brightly colored spots dancing behind his eyelids (he really should’ve collected a sample of that cocktail to bring to the lab, Professor Cho would’ve been delighted to analyze it), but it’s nothing compared to the mess that is his emotions.

 

He knows that if he were to unlock his phone, it’d be filled with messages from his friends, some of them worried, others completely unaware of what happened at the club - mainly because they were too busy getting wrecked themselves. Changkyun’s memories are kinda blurry after he downed his third Wiper (and now he _knows_ why those fluorescent drinks were named that), but he has a vague recollection of Kihyun striking up a barely intelligible conversation about puppies with the burly guy sitting next to them, who at one point might or might have not started crying about his corgi.  
Honestly, Changkyun barely remembers getting home at all.

 

As designated drivers, Hyunwoo and Bora probably drove everyone home safely, but he has no recollection of that either.

 

He’s tempted to completely ignore his buzzing phone, but the thought that a certain someone might have written in the group chat (or worse, might _not_ have written) convinces him to open KKT and face the inevitable mess that attends him.

 

There’s a picture of Minhyuk hugging/strangling total strangers, complete with a tearfully incomprehensible caption about “mteeutng agenn!!!!!!111 lvoee uoi!!!”, a video of Hoseok’s best moments as a table dancer, Seulgi warning everyone about her leaving with a group of girl friends from uni and Momo saying she’d drop by another party with her friend Mina. There was also a very panicky vocal message from Hyungwon begging for help because apparently the two Russian models he had inadvertently managed to seduce were planning to smuggle him back to Russia with them (Hyojung had replied with a wild cackle).

 

Then there’s a message from Bora confirming that she managed to catch a taxi with Hyojung, Hoseok, and Hyungwon to get all of them home safely, and Hyunwoo had replied, saying he had collected Kihyun, Minhyuk and Changkyun - though Jooheon was strangely missing.

 

At that point, Changkyun turns off the phone.  
He knows why Jooheon was missing, and it was all his fault. He tries not to think about where he might be now - snuggled up in another man’s bed, looking soft and pure in the morning light, his heart-shaped lips slightly parted in sleep, dark hair tousled and curled on the pillow like a halo.

  
_Did they fall asleep in each other’s arms, like Changkyun’s been dreaming of for months now? Is Jooheon happier with Jackson than he would ever have been with him?_

 

_Would Jooheon be snuggled up in_ his _bed now, if Changkyun had accepted the challenge and kissed him?_

 

His hands start to shake so bad, his phone physically slips out of them and drops straight onto Changkyun’s face.

 

“Ow! Fuck”

 

As if on cue, the door slams open, a distressed Kihyun making his appearance.  
If he had worn a black cape or carried a scythe, he couldn’t have looked more like actual Death™.

 

“Changkyun-ah. I made a terrible mistake.”

 

_Yeah, tell me about it._

 

_“_ Those cocktails...I don’t know what was in them, but I puked in technicolor for thirty minutes straight. I want to die.”

 

That said, he flops on the bed next to Changkyun and regards him with a surprisingly inquisitive -though bleary- stare.  
  
“You look awful, but not hangover-awful.” Changkyun tsks at his brother’s usual bluntness.

 

“Oh, by the way, do you know what happened to Jooheonie?”

 

_Here it comes._

 

Kihyun continues undisturbed, sounding much more coherent that Changkyun would’ve expected of him after seeing his brother getting spectacularly shit-faced last night.

 

“Hyunwoo hyung couldn’t find him last night at the club. It’s weird, because hyung was supposed to drive us all home, but Momo’s friend said she saw Jooheon leave earlier. At least, that’s what Hyunwoo told me this morning when he called to check on us - I don’t remember anything.”

 

Kihyun drags a clammy palm down his face and squints at Changkyun, rapidly growing paler and looking vaguely sick.

 

“Do you happen to know something about that?”

 

At this point, hiding the truth wouldn’t do him any good. If Jooheon and Jackson really slept together, it’s only a matter of time before everybody knows, and if Jooheon doesn’t reappear soon, well, Kihyun is just motherly enough that he might organize a search party.

 

So, Changkyun takes a deep breath and spits it out. Every word is like gravel in his mouth.

 

“Hyung, Jooheon went away with Jackson-ssi. I think -” he has to clear his throat at this “-I think Jackson-ssi took him home. He _told_ me he wanted to. He...they...”  
Changkyun angrily rubs at his eyes, where tears have started to form.

“I’m sorry hyung, I don’t want to talk about this.”

 

Kihyun just gapes at him for a bit, and one could probably see the pieces of the puzzle in his mind slowly combining themselves to form the right picture.

 

“Wait...you mean...Jooheon and Jackson hooked up?”

 

Changkyun scoffs wetly, not even trying to stop the tears anymore.

 

“Changkyun, that’s impossible!” his brother grabs him by his pajama-clad shoulders and shakes him lightly. Changkyun hiccups and frowns, more confused than ever.

 

“What do you mean? Momo’s friend saw them, you told me yourself!”

 

Kihyun shakes his head. “I know that, but it’s impossible that Jooheon hooked up with Jackson. He...if he did...it means Jackson...oh my _god_ , I’M GOING TO KILL HIM!”

 

He stands up, mumbling to himself and looking like a complete madman. “It’s not possible, let me call Hoseok, it can’t be…” and he leaves in all his boxer-clad glory, his hair sticking up like a poorly glued wig.

 

Changkyun flops bonelessly back on the bed, too tired, miserable and confused to deal with all of this craziness.

 

-

 

_“Pick up, come on, come on, come on…”_

 

Jooheon mutters under his breath like a mantra, tapping the tip of his boot impatiently against the plastic table leg. He still hasn’t managed to get home, preferring to stop by a cafè to get an emergency americano, so his clothing still sticks a bit uncomfortably to his skin, and his hair _definitely_ smells like cigarette smoke. Thankfully, he had managed to wash off his make up at Jackson’s, or he’s pretty sure he’d look like a depressed drag queen by now.

 

The fact is, he is depressed, miserable as hell even, and when he dialed Minhyuk’s number he did so with shaking fingers.

 

He dodged a bullet last night, or better, _Jackson_ had turned out to be much more noble than he imagined and _made_ him dodge a bullet. Still, it doesn’t erase the fact that Jooheon was dead set on doing something incredibly stupid and hurtful, something that might have ruined everything and cancelled any possible reconciliation.

 

Finally, after a dreadful minute of “It should be ILLEEGAAL to deCEEIVE a womAAN’S heEAAARTTT” (Minhyuk had set Shakira as his ringtone, _again_ ) Minhyuk picks up, sounding by all means like he spent the whole night munching on sandpaper.

 

“Jooheonie? Do you know what time it is?”  
  
“Hyung, it’s past midday, and I’m sorry to disturb you while you have a hangover but this is really important, I almost did something really stupid and-” he starts to speed talk, almost rapping his way through his explanation.

 

“Jooheon, calm down and take a deep breath. Thaaaat’s right. Now, what happened? I don’t remember much about last night, so if it’s about something you did at the club, I’m probably not the best person to ask, sorry. Also I have a headache, ugh.”  
  
_No shit, bro._

 

“Well, remember how we were all supposed to drive home with Hyunwoo hyung, because he’s a responsible person that doesn’t get shit-faced when we go out in public?”  
  
There’s the sound of Minhyuk gulping a painkiller down, then a gurgled: “Yeah?”

 

“I didn’t come with you all. I went home...I...uh….I went home with Jackson.”  
  
And _now_ there’s the sound of Minhyuk spitting water (and presumably the painkiller too) and almost choking on it.

 

“You _what_ ? Jooheon please, for the love of god, tell me you didn’t fuck him. _Please.”_

 

_If even Minhyuk, king-of-free-lap-dances Minhyuk, thinks it’d have been a shitty idea, you didn’t dodge a bullet, you dodged a cannonball._

 

_“_ No no no! I didn’t fuck him, I swear!” He gets a shocked look from a lady sitting at the table next to him and hurriedly lowers his voice. “I mean, I kinda wanted to, and he wanted too, but he decided to stop and now I’m so relieved we didn’t do it, I…”  
  
He’s interrupted by the biggest sigh of relief he’s ever heard in his life. “That’s awesome, ok, I’m so glad you didn’t do it. The question is, why did you go home with Jackson at all though? Didn’t you agree to come to the party so you could, and I quote, “finally make a move on Changkyun”? If he saw you leaving with Jackson he probably got the wrong idea, bro.”

Jooheon (still mindful of the reproachful looking lady sitting close to him) briefly tells his hyung everything, from the attempted-almost-wonderfully-romantic-kiss to how Changkyun had turned away, and how Jooheon in his desperation had turned to the only person who looked like he might give him what he wanted.

 

“Aww, Jooheonie, I’m so sorry!” Minhyuk croons in sympathy. “I should have been closer to you, I was a shitty friend! Anyway, I’m sure you can solve this. Just call our Changkyunnie and tell him that nothing happened between you and Jackson.”

 

Jooheon scoffs at that. As if he could ever bring himself to make such a phone call. It was hard enough to tell Minhyuk, and they’ve been best friends since they were children. To add salt to his wounds, unwanted tears of frustration and sadness fall into his iced americano, and now there’s a little girl staring pityingly at him two tables down.

 

“I can’t do that, Minhyukie. I can’t.”

 

“Shh, Jooheonie, everything is going to be alright, I promise. Should I call him for you?” Minhyuk’s voice is soothing and so, so convincing.

 

“You mean, you want to call Changkyun to explain _I_ didn’t fuck another guy?”

 

“Yeah, why not? You’re in love with him, and you still don’t know how he feels about you- _no_ , listen!” he insists, sensing Jooheon’s interruption. “What happened last night sounds really sudden and intense and you know, maybe he panicked. It happens when you’re inexperienced like our kkukkungie. It doesn’t mean he wanted to reject you. So please, let me talk to him, okay? I’ll get this sorted out, even if it might make my headache _worse_.”

 

Jooheon nods wetly and accepts the napkin the little girl gave him with a teary smile.

 

“Okay, you can try. But I’m not sure I want to know what he says, Minhyukie.”

“In any case, you’d have an answer, and it’s better than pining hopelessly like you’ve done up until now. Just stay where you are, get a slice of cake and wait for me to call back, ok? Don’t move. Where are you now, by the way?”

 

“Yessir. I’m at Milo’s in Hongdae.”  
“Gotcha!”

  
His heart feels so full of hope it might burst, like a water balloon.

  
“Minhyukie?”

  
“Yeah?”

 

“Thank you.”

 

-

Changkyun finds out he had fallen back asleep only when Minhyuk’s annoying ringtone blasts his way through his eardrums.

 

_“It should be ILLEEEGAL TO DECEEEIVE-”_

 

_“_ Yeah, yeah. Hyung? What’s up? Are you alive?”

The last time Changkyun had seen Minhyuk, he looked on his way to cross the Styx.  
  
“Huh, I just have a killer headache, but I’ll live. How are you feeling?”  
  
_Like shit_ is probably too blunt an answer, so Changkyun settles for a diplomatic, “I’ve been better”.

 

“Good, because I have to talk about you about something important. About Jooheon, really.”

 

Frozen vines curl their way up his stomach, freezing the words in his throat. This is the moment he’s been dreading.

 

When he hears only silence on the other side, Minhyuk blunders on.

 

“I don’t remember any of it, but he told me he went home with Jackson. He was feeling miserable, and rejected, because he tried to make a move on you and you refused him.”  
  
Apparently, Minhyuk wasn’t in the mood for sugarcoating things this morning, and beneath the roaring of his own blood in his ears Changkyun could hear a faint tone of reproach in his friend’s voice.

 

“Hyung I...I did something incredibly stupid, I didn’t know what to do, I panicked and I fled like a coward, I…”  
  
“Yeah, I thought as much. That’s what I told Jooheon as well.”

 

Changkyun’s voice is shaking when he asks the question that’s been buzzing through his mind since last night.

 

“So, is it...official? Did they...are they together now?”

 

Minhyuk giggles like a schoolgirl and if he wasn’t so desperate, Changkyun would very much feel like throttling him.

 

“They didn’t do anything, Kkukkungie. Jackson’s had his eye on Jooheonie for a while, but Jooheon likes _you_ , Changkyun. He’s always liked you.”

 

The frozen vines in his stomach melt, turning into half-congealed slush.

 

“What?” he asks weakly.

 

“Listen, we don’t have much time. You can either believe me and do something incredibly, wonderfully romantic, or you can sit on your ass and mope all day. It’s up to you.”

 

When he’s done talking to Minhyuk, he throws on an old pair of jeans, a hoodie (he doesn’t even bother to scavenge the pile on the floor for a clean t-shirt to put on underneath) and brushes his teeth so fast, when he puts it away his toothbrush it misses its spot in the glass on the sink and clatters somewhere on the floor. Changkyun doesn’t bother looking for where it ended up. As he toes on his Jordans (which still bear minimal signs of glitter), he hears the unmistakable sound of Kihyun throwing up again, and he openly laughs, light-hearted and full.

 

-

 

Jooheon rather likes children. This one in particular, tiny and about Dahyun’s age, doesn’t seem too fazed by the sight of a grown up crying into his coffee, and so has obtained his muted gratitude.

 

“My mommy says it’s okay to cry when we feel sad, so all the sadness comes out and the happiness can come in!” she chirps, landing a comforting little hand on his knee.

 

Jooheon sniffles and smiles tearily down at the kid again, then blows his nose with a loud trumpet sound. “I hope your mommy is right.”

 

“She always is! For example, she says you should always wear a scarf on windy days, and that boy right there isn’t wearing one! You can bet he’ll have a terrible sore throat tomorrow.” she adds sagely.

 

_Wait, which boy?_

 

Jooheon turns around and his still-wet eyes meet Changkyun’s dark ones. He’s standing just a little far away, looking out of breath, wearing old ripped jeans and a huge white hoodie that swallows his willowy frame and exposes his collarbones from beneath his hood.

 

Jooheon stands up, and there’s something that feels suspiciously like hope and relief bubbling in his chest. He walks towards the other boy on legs made of jelly and doesn’t stop until he’s staring deep into flickering brown eyes, so dark and yet so full of light.

 

The two of them are almost the same height, and right now they’re so close Changkyun could probably count every tear hanging onto his eyelashes.  Jooheon only has the time to murmur a guilty “Changkyun-ah...” before the other boy lands warm palms on his round cheeks and softly presses slightly chapped lips against his.

 

The little girl claps intelligently, because that’s what she’s seen people do on TV dramas, and the other people seated at the tables around them follow suit, out of sheer confusion more than anything.

 

It was the lightest of kisses, a request for forgiveness more than an act of passion, but when they part they’re both breathing heavily, leaning their foreheads against each other’s.

 

“I’m sorry, I’ve been a fool and a coward and I ran away from what I wanted, but no more.”

 

Changkyun’s deep voice shakes badly, as full of repressed emotion as Jooheon has ever heard it. It feels surreal, a fever dream come to life, to have Changkyun’s warm and slightly clammy palms lovingly cradling his face, and those wonderful lips millimeters away, telling him all he’s wanted to hear ever since they first met.

 

“I want you, Lee Jooheon, I’ve wanted you since the first time I crashed into you in that stupid bee onesie. Not that it’s stupid, I love it, and I love you, I... _oh god_ , I really do. _I love you_.”

 

Jooheon feels like he might burst into tears again.

He feels like one hundred unruly butterflies escaped from their cages and invaded his stomach in a fluttery storm.

He feels like kissing Changkyun again.  
  
So he does.

 

He fists both hands in Changkyun’s oversized hoodie and crashes his lips against the other boy’s. He tries to memorize their warmth and shape, how they feel beneath his own, again and again, sobbing “I love you too” against his mouth until the other boy’s lips part with a sigh, and their tongues brush against each other, one of Changkyun’s arms curling tenderly around Jooheon’s waist to keep him in place.

  
They get banned from that cafè for “uncalled public displays of affection”, but it’s totally worth it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *user Kurookano emerges from behind a bush, joins hand with user happycakeycake and slowly bows before slithering back into the bush*


	11. EPILOGUE: And you’ve seen all my mistakes, so look me in my eyes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Two cuties get their happy ending, Kihyun actually keeps his Shakira prank-ringtone and a fox lives his dream.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SO *clears throat* you might think we have come to the end of this ride.   
> BUT.  
> WE HAVE NOT.  
> We'll be back with a sequel, sort-of, and the rating is going to go up, so uh, you know what it means. Yeah.
> 
> :^) stay tuned

Things get quite different after they officially get together, but they get different in a  _ good  _ way.

 

For starters, Jooheon decides it’s time to try something he’s always wanted to do and dyes his hair blonde. It has nothing to do with his new status as Changkyun’s official boyfriend and everything to do with finally feeling bold enough to go and  _ do it _ , but Changkyun has to admit that with his new soft, honey colored, wavy hair Jooheon looks even more like a cherub, which makes it extremely difficult for Changkyun to tear his eyes away from him or, god forbid, deny him anything.

 

Of course, there are other benefits: for example, Changkyun can now kiss Jooheon whenever he wants, and since Jooheon is quite willing to be kissed (not to mention, his soft heart shaped lips seem to be made for  _ just _ for that), he gets to do it pretty often. 

  
Honestly, Changkyun could spend hours kissing Jooheon, and on cold, rainy weekends they often do exactly that, laying on Jooheon’s bed and lazily making out until one of them finally gets hungry enough to grab the takeaway menu. 

 

Unsurprisingly, the whole staff at the Camp receives the news with incredible enthusiasm, maybe even with a little too much enthusiasm. For Changkyun’s birthday, the teachers present him with two tickets for a trip to Jeju Island for him to enjoy with Jooheon, while Minhyuk and the others all pitch together to prepare an unusual birthday present, aka a huge, colourful box full of family-sized condom packs and other  _ supplies _ . (“Better safe than sorry!” chirps Hoseok with a blinding smile, not caring at all about Changkyun’s groan of embarrassment or the fact that Jooheon has turned an unhealthy but interesting shade of magenta).

 

Changkyun hides the box under his bed, because while he and Jooheon are taking things slow and  definitely haven’t needed those kind of items yet, it never hurts to have things ready. For, um, lucky times. Prevention. Yes.

 

As Changkyun suspected, the kids already knew everything and wasted no time in presenting both him and Jooheon with all sorts of cute handmade gifts to “celebrate their love”, from paper bouquets to a seriously creepy vintage postcard picturing two stuffed foxes in wedding attire that Chanyeol purchased at a thrift shop. 

 

There was also the time Cheng Xiao and Taehyung caught the young couple sharing a super chaste brush of lips on the Camp steps, and of course told the whole Camp about it. Changkyun was bombarded for the entirety of the afternoon by cooing sounds and questions like “When are you and Honey oppa getting married? Can I be his bridesmaid?”.

 

All in all, it’s exactly as wonderful as Changkyun had pictured it in his fantasies. Sure, it’s not all easy, but he never expected  _ easy.  _ Some parents withdrew their kids from the camp when they found out two of the staff members (of the same sex, no less) were dating, but as sad as they were for the kids leaving, nobody at the Camp blamed Changkyun and Jooheon for this, and anyway it was greatly compensated by Soyou, who marched in one afternoon, fur and diamonds and all, and signed a blank cheque for the Camp to purchase new desks and supplies for their labs, declaring that “no ignorant bumpkin would cause this wonderful place to close down because of their medieval prejudices.” Junmyeon and Seokjin did their part too and assured that they were helping spread the word that the Happy Safari Camp was a great place to put your investments (including your children) in. 

 

Even Jackson took part in the campaign for the Camp’s defense and told off a group of teenagers who had stationed themselves outside the building, sneering and taunting. The look of sheer terror on their faces as Jackson, Hyunwoo and Hoseok had marched down the steps in all their bulky glory to fend off the group of assholes became meme material for weeks and taught any other prejudiced idiot to refrain from trying to bother the staff. For that, Changkyun even stopped calling Jackson “Buffy Buff” in his head and decided that yes, the dude was worth his weight in gold and could be approached with far less diffidence than before.

 

_ (If there’s ever a hint of something bittersweet when Jackson smiles at Jooheon, nobody ever acknowledges it.) _

 

Kihyun had, of course, reacted in his own Kihyun-esque way, even attempting to give a horrified Changkyun The Talk  ™  ( _ “Hyung, you  _ do _ realize Jooheon and I are both grown adults, right?” _ ) and humming very loudly and very pointedly when he happens to pass in front of his brother’s room, where Changkyun and Jooheon are usually innocently (or not-so-innocently, but still pretty chastely) chilling, as if to point out that he’s passing through and doesn’t want to hear  _ anything _ , thank you very much. 

 

This is exactly the reason why usually hang around at Jooheon’s place. His flatmate, Minkyun, is very chill and most importantly, is almost never home, which makes for good, good privacy.

 

Kihyun  _ has _ resigned himself to the Drake playlists though and to hearing both Changkyun and Jooheon rap along during their now-shared car trips. 

“It’s still better than taking the bus, as long as you two don’t taint the backseat,” he had claimed one afternoon casting a suspicious look around, causing Jooheon to choke on his cup of coffee and Changkyun to almost run over an errant pigeon.

 

-

 

They prepare a show for the Lunar New Year, one of the ones Changkyun was dreading, complete with animal onesies and wolf rappers. Like last time, Kihyun fully enjoys his role as Director Supreme (™), terrorizing everyone except the kids, who pester  _ him _ in return with absurd requests (and how quickly he agreed to cover “What does the fox say” once Junmyeon slipped him a nice crisp banknote, to Chanyeol’s joy and everyone else’s despair). 

 

So this time, they have an extra character on the stage, and Chanyeol can finally complete his dream of dancing in a fox onesie in front of his friends and their parents, despite Hyungwon’s threats of faking an injury not to perform (“I’m not going on that stage shouting  _ Wa-pa-pa-pa-pa-pa-pow!” _ ) and the teachers’ general hilarity - especially Hyojung’s, with her witch laugh - at seeing their male coworkers embarrass themselves once again. 

 

Changkyun resigns himself to his fate and when the infamous  _ “Ring-ding-ding-ding-dingeringeding!”  _ chorus comes up - he shouts with the rest of his friends and actually has  _ fun _ . He decides that in the end, having a reputation isn’t all that important as long as the kids are happy.

 

As they finish the show and bow to their small audience, Changkyun is nudged on his side by a smiling Jooheon, who shyly sneaks his small, warm hand into his bigger one. They bow holding hands, and as a shower of kinda irregular-shaped confetti rains over them (Changkyun will find some in his underwear later), he takes in Jooheon’s dimpled smile, the happy expressions on his friends’ faces, and realizes that yes, this is one of those moments movies talk about, a moment that will remain engraved in your memory forever in a halo of nostalgia and happiness.

 

Changkyun returns the smile in full, with his own blinding one, the kind that hurts your cheeks, and  _ by Drake _ , he couldn’t be more grateful.

**Author's Note:**

> thanks for reading! Please leave a comment, seriously they feed any and all motivation we have to write
> 
> come scream at us on tumblr about monstax @happycakestories and @jo0heonie


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